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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25619413">The Knight of the Green Sun</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphicMetatron/pseuds/SapphicMetatron'>SapphicMetatron</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supergirl (TV 2015)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - No Powers, Attempted Kidnapping, Bisexual Kara Danvers, Chatting &amp; Messaging, Complete, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Gun Violence, Lesbian Lena Luthor, Long-Distance Friendship, Mystery, Quarantine, Slow Burn, Sort Of, Strangers to Lovers, ish, mentions of pandemic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:47:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>28,865</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25619413</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphicMetatron/pseuds/SapphicMetatron</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Lena is a first-time game developer looking for a playtester. Kara, a quarantining journalist and freelancer, takes the job. The money is enough of an incentive, but she also hopes to make a friend.</p><p>Except Lena’s game is sorta maybe haunted.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>88</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>287</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Dev</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I've been reading a unholy amount of Supercorp, so here I am writing my own (as a break from a bigger fic.)</p><p>COVID-19 plays a role for the setting of this story, though it is not the focus. I still urge everyone to stay safe and healthy during this pandemic. Supercorp is helping my sanity during lockdown.</p><p>The AU in this fic is a bit all over the place regarding canon timelines, but hey that's AUs. Also, the writing is most of the way finished. I'll be releasing chapters as I edit and such. It may take several days to a week since I have real life stuff to take care of.</p><p>A huge thanks to my best friend for beta reading and being the bestestest person in the planet. Ilysm.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Looking for a playtester for my demo. You will be paid for your time. If you are interested, DM me.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Curt, dry and vague, the message had been posted to the job offerings channel within one of the gamedev servers Kara was a part of. There wasn’t even a link to a game website or a descriptive picture for the project.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yet she was convinced that </span>
  <em>
    <span>queenB</span>
  </em>
  <span> wasn’t worried about being overlooked. That single sentence at the very middle, the promise of money, was sure to attract plenty of candidates.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara bit her lip, mouse hovering over the person’s username. The light from the monitor turned her pale in the darkness of her room and drew blinding squares on her glasses. Someone else could use the money more than her, someone who didn’t have a loving, financially stable mother with a nice house to quarantine with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But she had seen </span>
  <em>
    <span>queenB </span>
  </em>
  <span>frequenting a number of mutual servers, had even interacted with her briefly. After observing her sporadic appearances to drop a witty joke or help out another member with their code, Kara had been </span>
  <em>
    <span>dying </span>
  </em>
  <span>to get to know this person. She was like a whimsical fairy popping in to sprinkle some blessings upon mere mortals, then quickly blinking out of existence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>DMing her out of the blue had been simply out of the question, though. Just…nope.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This wouldn’t be out of the blue, however. It was a chance, a sign from a deity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Kara decided to take it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Right click, message user.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>hi! I’m dming you about the job offer you posted in the gametalk server!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>unless you’ve already found someone in which case you can ignore me</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Kara didn’t expect an immediate reply. Rather, she cracked her knuckles, rolled her neck, cussed herself for being nervous (why was she even nervous? This was just some random user- a smart-sounding one, but a rando nonetheless), and clicked into her web browser to watch more soap-making videos.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as she pressed play, the icon blinked.  Kara clicked back in with a shaky finger.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hello. No, I haven’t picked anyone yet.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>really?? you must’ve gotten a lot of people by now</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>its been like an hour since you posted? And the server is pretty active</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What baffles me most is that you seem to be making a case for why I *shouldn’t* pick you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Kara gulped and pushed up her eyeglasses. This was just text, but she felt this person’s eyes judging her through the screen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before she could even put her braincells together to form an appropriate response to </span>
  <em>
    <span>that, </span>
  </em>
  <span>if there was even any, </span>
  <em>
    <span>queenB</span>
  </em>
  <span> beat her to the punch.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Aren’t you that person who frequently posts fanart for other people’s games? I think I recognize your icon.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I do love your artstyle. It’s very cute.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>omg you noticed? I haven’t done that in a while though ):</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Her fanart served both as a means to connect to the community, and to advertise her freelancing services.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The current state of the world blocked most of her creative flow, however. She did miss drawing, but for the time being her tablet was allowed to collect dust at her desk.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Of course I’ve noticed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And you’ve also participated in some gametalk tournaments, right?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>These tournaments weren’t that big of a deal. They were streamed within the server. Anyone could join, and it was mostly for entertainment during these stressful times.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Some decent players did make it in, though.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah! SSBU and mortal kombat and other games, won a few times (:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You watched??</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No, I checked out the brackets though, just to see how things progressed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sorry, not my kind of entertainment.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That’s ok!!!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Its more fun to play than to watch!!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I bet.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Anyway, about the playtesting. I have several documents with the info of the game and the job details.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>you can send those! I can take a look rn</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span> I need you to understand that this game is quite important to me. This doesn’t mean I won’t listen to your criticisms. It’s why I’ll be paying you, after all.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But I need to know that I can trust you. I would like to get to know you a bit more, to have a better picture of whom I’ll be sharing these details with.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Are you opposed to a videocall?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>This person was polite as anything, but Kara knew when she was being tested. In short, no, she didn’t mind. Though she exercised moderate caution and wasn’t giving away her info all over the place, Kara had nothing to hide. She had plenty of online friends, and it wasn’t like most of the world wasn’t being forced to connect via the internet these days.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>queenB </span>
  </em>
  <span>seemed legit enough after months of observing her across servers. Kara wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>too </span>
  </em>
  <span>worried in that regard. Winn would probably tell her she needed to worry more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But what was she getting herself into? While not unwelcome, she hadn’t expected this level of fuss when it came to a playtesting job.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara really wished she could ask Alex about this stuff, but not only was it midnight and her sister was surely snoring in her own room; she would forever be a skeptic when it came to people online.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You’re blowing this out of proportion, Kara. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She had wanted to talk to this person, anyway. Her wish was being granted.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>like right now?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>and would I also see you?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Within the next 24 hours would be preferable.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And yes, you would.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>do I need to sign a contract too lol</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>jk jk</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That’s a great idea, actually.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, god.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jk.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara snorted.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I can do a call! How about tomorrow</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ill reach out around</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>3?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>3pm</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m free all day.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Kara leaned back and smiled to herself. It quickly faltered, though. Wasn’t she supposed to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>competitive? </span>
  </em>
  <span>While </span>
  <em>
    <span>queenB </span>
  </em>
  <span>didn’t seem to be rushing or dismissing her, she also hadn’t explicitly stated that she was no longer looking for someone else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She should’ve agreed to that call right then and there. Cat Grant would be thoroughly disappointed in her. She had to amend this.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Here’s my insta in case youre worried im not legit btw @kara_z_d</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Thank you. Here’s mine: @lena.kieran</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Kara quickly snatched her phone and typed the handle into the search bar. The resulting profile was private and had about a hundred followers. Clearly a personal account. Perhaps if she followed, she would be approved.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure enough, the account was revealed to her, then promptly followed back. She had to scroll past several landscape pictures to find a selfie from five months prior. And once she did, her eyebrows nearly flew right out of her forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This woman was gorgeous. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Had </span>
  </em>
  <span>to be a fairy in the same way Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent was, with her sharp features and dark hair and those bewitching green eyes. She was more subtle, though. Controlled and contained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was…something else, though, beyond that regal presence. In this picture, where she posed with her attractive friends in a fancy café, there was something so genuine and harmless peeking through like beams of light reaching out from between the cracks of a stiff porcelain mask.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara would die for this woman.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if she found her own pictures of Alex smearing cake frosting on her face and laughing at her failed sourdough attempts embarrassing and never talked to her again.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Nice sourdough. Was it good?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It had a huge ass bubble in the middle ): youll see the cross section if you swipe</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh. I’m sorry. You could’ve turned it into croutons</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh we ate it anyways as is</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>but next time I’m taking your suggestion!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>sourdoughboule_crumb.jpg</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>GASP</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>THAT IS</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>GORGEOUS</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Omg I shouldve never sent you my insta )’:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Or I can help you troubleshoot your bread.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara and her fairy talked late into the night.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The next morning, she had nearly forgotten about the entire ordeal. It came to her as she climbed downstairs for breakfast- or lunch, rather. It instantly made her a little bit nervous. Would she have to pick an outfit? Showing up with bedhead and cartoon pajamas was out of the question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was already noon by the time she got out of bed thanks to her messed up sleep-schedule. CatCo didn’t really care for her working hours as long as she pumped out their articles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The kitchen was full of activity. It could only be her mother, since Alex was the unfortunate one of the two sisters who had to rise early for work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rather than standing by a sizzling pan or a hot oven, Eliza was rushing back and forth fully dressed, mask hanging off her ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re going out?” Kara’s voice was still hoarse from sleep but no less alarmed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good, you’re awake. I’m afraid I have to. It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>important.” Not even sparing a moment, she grabbed her bags and keys then moved to the front door. “I left something prepared in the microwave. I’ve already told your sister I’ll be gone for the month.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara chased after Eliza, her bare tiptoes carrying her across the room. “The </span>
  <em>
    <span>month?! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Wh-wha- </span>
  <em>
    <span>where </span>
  </em>
  <span>are you even going?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stopped by the door, Eliza’s hand lingering on the handle. Her face softened in sympathy. “I’ll be staying in Metropolis to take care of some…issues. But I’ll be back, alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It did nothing to reassure Kara. “Issues? What issues?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, I cannot say exactly-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A-and you sound like you’re gonna </span>
  <em>
    <span>disappear! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Are you gonna call or text or </span>
  <em>
    <span>something?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I will! Don’t be melodramatic. I’ll call you both when I get to the hotel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliza pulled her into a long, warm hug, which Kara reciprocated with her full strength. “Promise you will.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Promise. And remember to feed Streaky.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With this, Eliza slipped on her mask and left out the front door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Take care! No touching your face!” Kara didn’t stop waving until her car was out of view.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The house was eerily quiet and Kara hated it. She ate her pasta alone by the microwave rather than comfortably at the table, because she had watched far too many horror movies in her lifetime to not picture something creeping up behind her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seeing a sneaky cat moving out of the corner of her eye made nothing easier. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew </span>
  </em>
  <span>she was far too old to feel paranoid about </span>
  <em>
    <span>ghostly entities, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but it’s not like she could help it other than by giving herself pep talks. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ghosts aren’t real, Kara.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a reason why she was ecstatic to be rooming with Alex once it came time for her to move out of Midvale; while her sister had her police work to deal with for a good chunk of the day, the apartment wouldn’t be empty and quiet </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>the time. And she wouldn’t have to face the fact that she was basically a six year-old afraid of being jumped by ghouls or whatever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their childhood home was large, though, with plenty of hallways and rooms twisting and leaving things up to the imagination. And now Kara was alone in it. Just Kara, plus an aloof cat. And her awful habit of chewing on her nails when she was nervous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And there was plenty to be nervous about. Quarantine wasn’t supposed to be eventful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At 12:13 she messaged Alex about their mom’s sudden departure. She was given the same info as Kara and might have been internally freaking out just a little bit more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At 1:06, Kara showered, dressed and organized her room for the camera.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At 1:48, she deliberated starting another sourdough with </span>
  <em>
    <span>queenB</span>
  </em>
  <span>- Lena’s tips, but the thought of their approaching meeting time only made her more restless. A restless Kara was an absentminded, clumsy Kara. A restless Kara would thoroughly fuck up a sourdough.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So at 1:53, she sat down and watched some random bearded guy remove the rust from a cast iron skillet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> She held off from stalking Lena’s chat until 2:26. Kara didn’t want to seem desperate or rush her, and originally intended on waiting a bit more until she clicked into her chat and saw the last few messages from last night.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle at 2:22 a.m.</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I almost never have dreams butw</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>When I do itslike</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>L</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB at 2:30 a.m.</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sweet dreams, Kara.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Squee. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Her face flushed from a near-deadly combination of embarrassment and endearment. Kara was notorious for rambling, so she tried to be self-aware about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But she completely lost herself that night (morning?) while talking to this person. In two hours it was only confirmed that Lena was insanely smart and knowledgeable. Kara could mention anything and she would have an insightful response. Each conversation bled into another with such ease, and Lena never stopped her. It was like she knew the lyrics to the song that was Kara’s life.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Whoa. What the hell? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Too fast. Whenever she got wrapped up in her own fantasyland, Kara ran to Winn, but he did have a job with fixed hours, even if it was from home. Kara wasn’t about to bother him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her mind was filling in the blanks for this attractive internet person she hadn’t even truly met yet. Yes, that made sense. Kara wanted Lena to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>something </span>
  </em>
  <span>to her lonely, unfulfilled quarantined life, and that wasn’t fair for either of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But the way she said good night…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Meant nothing. It’s not like Kara could assume her tone. This was just a good first impression, the tip of the ice-berg.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Regardless, Lena was online. And it was almost three. And restoration videos could only keep her still for so long. She glanced around her room and found everything was in order.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At 2:47 p.m., Kara messaged Lena.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>hey</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>sorry about last night, I was gonna say my dreams were really vivid when I had them</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>how are you today? (:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hello.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m good. Are you ready?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, shit. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She was going for the kill. Kara adjusted her glasses, patted down her blonde locks and hoped her T-shirt wasn’t too silly. This was just a playtesting job, not a corporate interview.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>yep! should I call or</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB is calling…</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara missed the button three times before accepting. She exhaled, straightened up, and reminded herself to look into the camera.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Lena’s view came on, Kara was greeted by a damn painting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was a fairy peeking through the darkness of a forest, her features lit by the screen before her. The pink and blue LEDs in her background framed her like a halo. Only the elaborate headset and her tall gamer chair grounded her from a fantastical being into a slightly less fantastical real-life person.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena might be the only person on the planet who could make that chair look corporate. She was a boss. The fairy boss of her fairy company.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello? Can you hear me?” And her </span>
  <em>
    <span>voice. </span>
  </em>
  <span>That expensive headset delivered the sound crisply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The seconds ticked by far too quickly for Kara to recover. She poked her glasses. “H-hi! Yes. Can you hear me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena nodded, then smiled. “Are </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes! I just-I didn’t expect you to have the TikTok lights.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“TikTok lights?” She swiveled around in her chair. “These aren’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>TikTok </span>
  </em>
  <span>lights! They’re LEDs!” She spat out the name of the app.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All the TikTokers have them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“TikTok-“ Lena scoffed. “Those </span>
  <em>
    <span>aren’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>TikTok lights and I am not- whatever that hideous word was.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, I don’t make the rules.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Kara!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara let out an ugly laugh, throwing her head back and all. She would be more worried about seriously offending Lena with her teasing if the woman herself weren’t fighting back a smile. It was bizarre, how it felt like they had been friends for </span>
  <em>
    <span>years.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe you. You’ve already thrown me off-script.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have a </span>
  <em>
    <span>script?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“A loose outline. Don’t worry about it.” She typed this, clicked that, then once again reached straight through the camera with her piercing green eyes. “Anyway, why are you part of so many game development servers? Have you created a game of your own?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um,” </span>
  <em>
    <span>phew, nervous. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Her eyes traveled all around her desk, “yeah, with my friend, Winn. We made this cute little platformer and I worked on the backgrounds. Someone else did the characters.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? What’s the name?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Superdog! Here, I’ll get you the link.” Kara’s hands flew to the keyboard but froze when Lena spoke up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That sounds familiar, I might’ve played it.” She must have been looking around her own game catalogue. “Yes. I remember this one. I didn’t know you worked on it. The artwork is adorable. Beautiful color palette.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you donated the proceeds to a dog charity.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara nodded eagerly. “One hundred percent!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena narrowed her gaze and leaned back into her chair, assessing her, judging her. “What motivated you to do this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, well,” Kara threaded her fingers on her desk to keep from pushing up her glasses for the fifth time in ten minutes, “Winn and I both have stable jobs, we didn’t need the money. We just thought we could join forces and do something nice for the doggos.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The </span>
  <em>
    <span>doggos.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>She chuckled. “You’re such a ball of sunshine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wh-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do let me know if you make a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Supercat, </span>
  </em>
  <span>alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara perked up and her hand came loose to nudge her glasses. “We’ve talked about it, actually! I just…” her eyes drifted to the abandoned tablet near the back of her desk, “haven’t felt very </span>
  <em>
    <span>artsy </span>
  </em>
  <span>lately.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena hummed thoughtfully. Rather than staring into the camera, she seemed to be contemplating Kara’s own picture on her screen. “I hope you find your muse soon. I simply </span>
  <em>
    <span>love </span>
  </em>
  <span>cats.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a cat, actually. His name is Streaky.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Felines were clearly Lena’s weak spot. She instantly melted. “Will you show him to me sometime?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara’s smile reached her eyes. “How could I say no to that?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>At the mention of an outline, Kara had anticipated a series of very serious, borderline invasive questions. They never came.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They simply talked and talked for hours, going from this to that, sharing bits and pieces about each other. Lena did have a tendency to skirt around certain topics, if not remain completely vague about them, but Kara kept seeing that </span>
  <em>
    <span>something </span>
  </em>
  <span>that was so true about her shine right through.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the end of it, Kara learned several things about Lena. She was an engineer forced to finish her studies online (which greatly annoyed her,) who decided to spend her extra time coding her current project. This videogame of hers was her foray into the gamedev world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She lived alone in her own place, was financially comfortable, and had been baking bread before everyone else thought it was cool.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But from the very limited info she provided, she seemed isolated. Few friends, strained family relations. Lena didn’t want her to feel sorry for her, though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It surprised Kara to learn Lena was 22 while she was 24 herself. Her beauty was youthful, yet the aura of control she projected made her seem far more put together than a 22 year old would manage. Even when she was flustered it appeared as though her blush asked for permission before invading her cheeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Talking had been just as easy, if not moreso, than messaging. Nothing was shared or discussed that she wouldn’t share with an online acquaintance under normal circumstances. This whole thing could be simple, after all. Play a game, make a friend, good times overall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara was sad to let her go when Alex finally came home. Family time was sacred to the Danvers, and she wasn’t going to skip on spending it with her sister.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She turned on her chair towards the door. “My sister’s here. I gotta go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sister?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara smiled just thinking about her. “Yeah, I have an older sister. She just came home from work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena stiffened, her jaw squaring as she forced down a gulp, but she managed a smile. “We’ll keep messaging. I’ll send you the files and we can sort out the other stuff. See you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See y-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hung up just like that. A jarring end to a pleasant, four-hour conversation. Kara blamed herself for looking like she was about to bolt out the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welp.” Gotta take care of Alex before she bitched at her about wasting her life away at a computer.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The two sisters had dinner, then settled together on the couch to watch an episode or two of some show. With Lena absent, Kara’s mind was allowed to fret over her mother yet again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So she hasn’t called you either?” Asked Alex, her leg bouncing and her phone in her hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, right then, Alex’s screen flashed brightly. She picked up before the ring tone had a chance to blare out. “Mom?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Is your sister there? Are you on speaker?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes! How’s everything? Did you make it safely?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara knelt on the couch and leaned in closer. “Do you feel okay? No fever?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Kara, the symptoms don’t show up right away like that. Yes, I’m safe in my hotel room. Have you girls eaten yet?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, we ate. Mom…” Alex’s eyes flickered towards Kara’s, “I’m worried, we’re both really worried about this sudden thing you’re doing. Is there some sort of trouble we should know about?” She was clearly trying to hold back frustration from being kept in the dark.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I couldn’t postpone it, but I promise to you both that I am in no danger. I’ll be calling you every day at 8 p.m., alright?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The sisters shared a frown.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Before they went to their respective rooms for the night, Alex looked her in the eye and said, “if she doesn’t call or pick up that phone, I’m going to do something about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara nodded. “I support that.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB at 9:37 p.m.</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>kotgs_gamedesigndoc_2020ver.pdf</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>terms.docx</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Look these over and let me know if you’re in.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The corner of her laptop screen read 11:07p.m.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara felt wide awake and alert.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Just finished hanging with my sis!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>On it!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Is she good to you?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>My sister? Shes like a second mom sometimes but shes the best</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Love her to pieces (:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Good.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Lena typed, but seemed to hesitate and start over.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I had an older brother too.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Had. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Kara’s face scrunched up with grief as though Lena could see her.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Im sorry.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I hope you agree to work with me.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara bit her lip. The Lena in her head spoke that with such loneliness, and Kara wanted to fix that.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>(: im pretty sure I will</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>but even if like something comes up</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>which I don’t think it will at this point I mean really</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>though I shouldn’t get ahead of myself</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I promise im reading the documents I just</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>wanted to ask</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>*if* something comes up and I have to turn you down</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>would we still talk?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t see why not.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>(((((:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Game</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Kara did not expect Lena’s game to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>this </span>
  </em>
  <span>ambitious.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The Knight of the Green Sun</span>
  </em>
  <span> was a 3D superhero game. While it had a main plot, it was set in a large city with citizens and sidequests to be freely explored. Even the gameplay went above and beyond for what was, as far as Kara was aware, a one-person team. The fighting had a highly intricate combo system with dozens of possibilities that showcased the protagonist’s super abilities.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Needless to say, Kara was excited. She was curious to see what this complex-looking passion project was actually like.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One of Lena’s conditions was to be present during the first few playtesting sessions, so they agreed to meet at 9:30 in the evening. By then, her sister would retire to her room and her mother would’ve already called.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it was only five, the sun was yet to set, and she could only write this article at a word per minute. It didn’t help that Winn was done with work and eagerly questioning her about her new friend/employer.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Awinner</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I dunno man</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That game is waaaaaaay too ambitious</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t get your hopes up. It could be pretty trash</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>meanie )’:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>the game really means a lot to her</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>like a lot</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>so like )’: don’t be such a meanie</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>(besides shes paying me a afuckton of money I almost feel bad)</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Awinner</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Im just being realistic</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It could be some sort of weird scam</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Is this person even legit</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>totally legit</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>she sent me her insta and I saw her on camera and we talked for houuurs</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>shes so nice (:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Awinner</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Send me her @</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t think I should do that</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>her profile is private anyway</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Awinner</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kara</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You’ve only known this chick for less than 48 hours</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And im your best friend ):</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t you trust me</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>grrrr</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Awinner</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Send me a screencap of her</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>@lena.kieran</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Screenshot_05_04_2020_3.jpg</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Awinner</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>KARA</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>THIS IS</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>WHAT HAPPENED</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Awinner</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>LENA FUCKING LUTHOR</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK WHY S SHE MAKING A GAME</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lena_Luthor</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Kara hesitated before clicking the link.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>is she a celeb???</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>it feels wrong to check that out ):</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Awinner</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>it’s publicly available info kara youre not hacking anyone</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>besides it’s a really short article</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena had not disclosed her last name during their chats. It had to have been for a reason. Going behind her back to find out more about her felt…very dirty, for reasons Kara failed at articulating. And that was a problem; she was a writer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Regardless, whatever garnered her the reputation to deserve a Wikipedia page didn’t have to change their dynamic. Unless she turned out to be a terrible person, Kara saw no reason to go snooping around. Lena could come forward on her own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yeah, that sounded good. Kara sipped on her tea, let it calm down her system in its descent, and let out a deep exhale.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’d rather not ):</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Awinner</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ok fair enough</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Lena Luthor isn’t a celeb per se</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Shes more like related to a celeb…sort of</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She’s pretty niche, so she wouldn’t come up in t he mainstream</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Especially since she’s very private</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>huh</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Awinner</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The woman is a damn genius though</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Plz tell me if her game is good?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I had to digitally sign an NDA, but I think I can speak on whether its good or not (:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Awinner</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Awesomeeee</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, the conversation shifted to some random stuff Winn found on reddit, leaving Kara some brain space to tackle her current article.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was allowed a full hour of non-stop typing. Though she was less than happy about the subject of the article. Once upon a time (months ago, really) she was a budding journalist going out into the field and hunting leads. Now, she was covering influencer scandals. Sliding into people’s DMs for info. Interviewing personalities that looked nothing like their profile picture. It was hardly stimulating.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cat Grant wanted this article out yesterday, though. The company was risking its mainstream reputation by covering internet drama, but if they were the first to put this out it could pay off immensely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, the icon blinked again, compelling her to peek into her chats.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena had messaged her.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>dinnerrolls_05_04.jpg</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Omgggg</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You gonna eat all that?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No, I always share a portion of my batches with my neighbor.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Safely right?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You put on your mask and keep distance and everything??</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>???</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yes, Kara. Thank you for worrying.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Want the recipe?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Pleeeaase ((:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Then, the time came. Cameras would be off this session, yet Kara still tidied her room. A bit of cleaning never hurt anyone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She brought a crisp glass of water, plugged her controller into the USB port, and reached out to Lena.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ready!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB is calling…</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi!” Kara’s voice squeaked. She cringed at the sound.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey.” Lena’s voice was calmer, gentler and pleasant. “Did the installation go well?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I did the test launch and everything. I’m at the start screen. You didn’t need me to screenshare, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, all I want to hear is your thoughts.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, ma’am.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara earned a soft giggle, smooth like dark chocolate. She was craving a bar all of a sudden. She didn’t even like dark chocolate all that much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The title screen was dark to highlight the glow of the text on top. The design was simple, but sleek. </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Knight of the Green Sun </span>
  </em>
  <span>read the sharp neon letters at the top.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Starting now.” Announced Kara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Remember to create a new save file.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She scrolled down to the second slot. The first was occupied by a file named </span>
  <em>
    <span>dev, </span>
  </em>
  <span>created two years ago and with over a hundred hours of playtime.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Holy shit, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Lena must be </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>dedicated to this project.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just gonna name it </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kara.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever you’d like. It makes no difference.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She moved the joystick around to punch in each of the four letters. And then, she hit the </span>
  <em>
    <span>start </span>
  </em>
  <span>button.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Darkness lingered for long moments. Only Kara’s breathing existed in her dark bedroom. The call was so silent Lena might as well not be there at all. Before she could reach for her light switch, the world came to be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Her character stood among flickering green reflections. He was a tall, broad man, with only his bald head peeking above his shadowy, black suit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking around revealed the glowing blobs were the reflections of crystalline towers, protruding in jagged lines and building a towering fortress above her head. This was all the illumination provided in the dimly lit scene.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara walked around, her footsteps echoing infinitely. Otherwise, the game dared not utter another sound.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kara?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She flinched at the sound of Lena’s voice. “Sorry. I’m in some crystal room thing. It’s…really stunning. Did you make all of this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The assets are purchased.” She stated curtly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a large open area, with no NPCs or obvious interactive items. Kara took the chance to play around with the buttons and figured out jumping, dashing, basic punching and blocking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, she focused on being thorough. While the crystal room appeared mostly empty, save for some formations which formed a staircase of sorts, she decided she was going to make the most out of this and explore every corner available. Lena would have no regrets in hiring her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A particular spot on the map slowed down her framerate significantly, an alcove of sorts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s this place that keeps lagging.” Informed Kara, reaching for the print screen key, then tabbing out of the game to send the picture.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I walk away, it runs fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’ve been trying to figure that one out for months. I keep finding nothing. Just keep moving.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara turned to the crude crystal staircase, which wound up to a tall peak. Mashing buttons, she executed several variations of dashing and jumping, and found she was having fun simply discovering all the combos.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The controls are nice and smooth. I can’t wait to beat people up.” Kara added with a giggle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you.” Her tone fell flat, unfeeling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena’s behavior was as off-putting as the sheer silence of the game. Not even the character offered any grunts or cries of effort when performing the acrobatics. Both the protagonist and his developer were stiff, like robots.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Lena she had spoken to prior wasn’t a robot. Controlled? Yes, in the same way a pianist played their song. Methodical, calculated, but not heartless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara pressed onwards. This was a job, anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Text appeared at the bottom of the screen.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[feminine voice] Welcome to the Fortress of Vanity.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Have you come to awaken your power at last?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Kara reached the top at last, where the green was bright and vivid. There, a pedestal waited, radiating a sentient light.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Come closer. Don’t be afraid.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This is all yours. You deserve it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She approached it and pushed the button to interact.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her character shot several feet into the air, power surging through him. When his feet touched the ground, the plain black bodysuit glowed with green patterns tracing the fibers of his muscles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Neat,” murmured Kara. For purchased generic assets, everything clicked with odd intentionality. “My character just changed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Turning him to face the camera revealed a large green ‘S’ on his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You need to figure out how to fly to proceed. The tutorial hasn’t been implemented yet. I would tell you, but…” her tone shifted to teasing, “I think you can figure it out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara tried several random combinations that involved standard jumping until she managed to get her character suspended in the air. “Got it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena scoffed in indignation. “It took me like ten tries to get that right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara laughed. “Why did you make this game so hard, then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I forgot. I have most of these actions mapped to hotkeys on my keyboard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“…Well now I know why you wanted a playtester.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Kara was introduced to the main stage of the game: Metropolis. It was a grim reminder of her mother’s current whereabouts and her suspicious secrecy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This map was less polished. There was a more obvious, disjointed quality to the buildings, the trees and the characters, and the shaders provided a more basic, outdated looking rendering. This was to be expected in the early stages of development, and it hardly deterred Kara from exploring.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The city was filled with all sorts of details. Every NPC had sets of unique dialog, and they ranged in the hundreds. Only a percentage of them had quests, though, which involved classic superhero work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The main plot was out-of-the way enough that Kara was allowed to run around freely. It was marked by a large green dot on the map- a location to fly to whenever she felt like starting things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In a week, she found herself engrossed and invested in certain sidequests that seemed to weave together across the city. The game rewarded her heroism with reputation: with each person she saved, her character’s fame within Metropolis increased. From virtually unknown, she started seeing his bald head and green eyes on every billboard, flashing a cocky white smile and giving a thumbs up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Curiously enough, he didn’t have a name. Everyone simply called him </span>
  <em>
    <span>hero.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Her reports to Lena included certain confusing dialog lines, some odd collision boxes, as well as hilarious physics engine mishaps. Kara begged for some of them to be left in. Shooting across the map and outside the boundaries always gave her a good cackle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Loud enough to have her sister knocking on the door. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Kara! It’s three in the morning! I have to get up in two hours!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, I’ll keep it down!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena laughed at her misfortune. “Waking up your sister, Kara? You’re so evil.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pouted at the screen, even though she couldn’t be seen. “Lenaaa, I didn’t mean to.” Then, a yawn forced its way out, and Kara rubbed at her sleepy eyes. “I think I’m calling it a night, though. It’s late, even for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I still have homework to take care of.” She let out a suffering sigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever </span>
  </em>
  <span>sleep, Lena?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t you know? I’m a vampire.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara snorted. “Sure. Promise me you’ll sleep soon, okay? You need to be strong and healthy in case you catch </span>
  <em>
    <span>something.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kara, I haven’t left my apartment in a month. I’ll be fine.” Then, her voice turned impossibly tender, like a caress stroking down Kara’s cheek. “Sweet dreams, Kara.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her cheeks flushed. “Sweet dreams.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena hung up. Kara saved the game and shut down her computer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Each night, Kara went to bed with her heart full of warmth and her head swimming in all things Lena.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But her dreams were full of green. The game was…consuming her, admittedly.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Holy shit, Kara.” Alex spoke through a mouthful of bread. “These are the best dinner rolls I’ve ever had in my life.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know right?!” Kara herself resembled a chipmunk with full cheeks and still had more in her hands. “We have to pass this recipe down the family!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t feel so bad about Alex still having to work during this ordeal if she came home to freshly baked goods. They hung out in the kitchen around the smell of warm buttery bread, emptying one of the two trays of dinner rolls the recipe yielded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex leaned against the counter, gaze lost on the wall. “What if mom met a guy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She made some weird gesture with her eyes. “You know. A guy. In Metropolis?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh!” Kara’s realization soon morphed into horror. “Oh, god.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Several seconds ticked by.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know what, forget I said anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yup. Happy to do so.” Kara snatched one more dinner roll and went on her way upstairs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, where are you going?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She spun around to find Alex eyeing her, hands on her hips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought we were gonna watch a movie tonight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara was quick to correct her course, fighting the cold, silent hands that pulled her towards the game.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Awinner</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hey</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Luthor slave</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>We haven’t played games together in a while</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sorry ):</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Its only been a week ):</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t only the videogame. Kara also wanted more of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Lena. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She would be lying to herself if she claimed otherwise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She spun her chair around in the privacy of her room, watching the ceiling go round and round and the stars plastered on its surface turn into circular blurs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena was a woman of few words. Her presence was silent, but comforting and always welcoming. Their sessions only became more pleasant. Kara did not feel the slightest amount of obligation towards her or the game.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, maybe a little bit towards the game. Unlike her creator, its quietness was…haunting, its stillness fostered an ever-increasing sense of wrongness at the back of her thoughts. There was a gaping hole in its simulated Metropolis, which manifested itself in the distinct lack of traffic, of music, of voices from people talking and children running. Those were the kinds of details expected to be added near the final stages of the game, however, so Kara didn’t complain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if the dread chased her into her dreams.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara clenched her eyes shut and halted her spinning by planting her toes on the ground. Yeah, maybe it was time for a break. Lena would understand. She was reasonable and kind.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Awinner</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Karaaa</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>We barely talk anymore</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Is she paying you that much</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Nooooo</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Just</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hang on</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She switched over to Lena’s chat.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hiii</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I was just about to message you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Do you want to just hang out for tonight?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>???</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Like</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Just talk?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Or play something else. If you’d like.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Something multiplayer? Co-op?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>That’s when Kara realized that her fairy was either a psychic, or secretly spying on her. Her eyes darted around the room suspiciously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was easier to focus on that rather than the blush on her cheeks.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Id love that ((((:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sorry, Winn.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>How about we play tomorrow winn</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Awinner</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Luthor</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Slave</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Luthor</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Slave</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>):&lt;</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>How about we play never</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Awinner</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You wouldn’t</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Smh im your best friend</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara might’ve even contemplated suggesting all three of them play together. But that would involve introducing Winn to Lena. And he seemed to be a bit of a fanboy. She would run for the hills.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A call from Lena interrupted anything else he had to say. Her face popping on the screen was a very welcome surprise for Kara’s eyes, though then she had to turn on her own camera.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi.” Kara said with a cheek-splitting grin. </span>
  <em>
    <span>God, she’s gorgeous. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Her hands furiously patted down her messy hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena tilted her head to the side, looking coy as she fidgeted with something off-screen. “Hey.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see you turned off the TikTok lights.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I swear to god, Kara.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They talked, at first. Lena paced around her room, which resembled a studio now that the overhead lights were on. She shuffled papers around and organized stacks of books while talking about her day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something about a poor fellow engineering student forgetting to mute their audio before going to the toilet in the middle of a meeting. Kara felt so bad for them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She earned a snort from Lena when she shared her own story about a CatCo meeting back when the pandemic was first starting, where some of her co-workers showed up in T-rex suits.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Online?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Lena, </span>
  <em>
    <span>in person.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She bent over from laughter. Kara felt thoroughly accomplished.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, Lena grew somber. She shared that she received news of her best friend testing positive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“…and she has a daughter. I would’ve taken her in without a second thought. I’m not good with kids, </span>
  <em>
    <span>at all, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but I got along with her well enough. Anyway,” she sighed heavily, shoulders falling, “she tested positive too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena was clearly trying to keep it together and seem casual, but her frown spoke to her true feelings.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara leaned onto her desk, face contorting with sympathy. “Lena, I’m sorry…Are they doing okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena slumped into her chair. “Yeah. I’m checking in on them every hour.” She rolled her eyes. “I know, it seems excessive, but…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara tried a soft smile. “My cousin also got it a few weeks ago. He made it through just fine, thankfully.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad.” Her smile was sincere, but quickly faltered. “I really hate this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara pouted, then sat up, straight and confident. “We’ll get through this. Together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena’s gaze fell. Her smirk was wry and half-hearted. “Maybe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, we </span>
  <em>
    <span>will.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Lena had enough of the conversation, she shared her list of games for Kara to pick. Except she had </span>
  <em>
    <span>thousands of them. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Kara only had a small fraction of that amount from taking advantage of free deals or discounts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lena, I think it’s better if I check my list? You have so many…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, just look and tell me if something interests you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lena…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She did her best, however, and whenever a game caught her eye, she checked her own list to see if she had it to begin with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They passed some time picking something both of them owned. Until Kara noticed several gift notifications waiting for her. They were games from </span>
  <em>
    <span>kieran98, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Lena’s account.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lena! What did you-why did you…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena tried and failed to fight the cheeky smile on her face while shrugging innocently. “I figured we should try them out, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara combed her fingers through her hair. “But these are </span>
  <em>
    <span>so many.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s hardly a drop in the bucket.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked </span>
  <em>
    <span>so smug. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Not the kind of mean smug a rich kid who simply wanted to flaunt wore. Rather, she seemed proud of herself as she watched Kara freak out like a flustered fish out of water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine.” Kara gulped and adjusted her glasses. “Fine, okay, but I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>only </span>
  </em>
  <span>trying them out with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her smile only grew wider. “That’s the plan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara squealed into her palms. Lena’s laughter poured from her earbuds like the sweetest sound.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They went from platformers to puzzle games. Lena naturally excelled at the latter genre, to the point that Kara had to pout and ask her to slow down because she was solving </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>There were silly games with awkward controls and gimmicks that Lena wanted to quickly move on from. There was a very phallic looking one Kara convinced her to play a round or two of.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are literally twelve.” Lena rolled her eyes. Kara only laughed harder.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to stop?” Lena asked when Kara yawned for the fifth time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a large, long yawn, with her arms stretching over her head and squeezing her cheeks. The screen was a bright blur to her tired eyes. “Yeah. I think I hit my limit. We should do this again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course. I had fun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still rubbing at her eyes, Kara maximized Lena’s window. Neither of them had turned off their cameras, so she had gone through the process of adjusting the windows on her tiny laptop screen just so she could see Lena while they played.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They sat in silence for a few moments. Kara rocked back and forth idly, shamelessly watching Lena as she typed on her phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her green eyes flickered up. A shy smile possessed her lips. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara shifted in her seat and smiled back, bright and open. “I had fun too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena ducked her head and set her phone aside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is your friend doing ok? And her kid?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. They’re fine. It’s two in the morning, so they’re both asleep. I was just…” She took a deep breath, her gaze wandering. From watching Lena, Kara figured she had at least three monitors in front of her, but her eyes fell somewhere off to the side. “I wish I could do </span>
  <em>
    <span>something. </span>
  </em>
  <span>I don’t have…a lot of friends. Those that I have, I want to protect.” She shook her head. “God, I must sound pathetic to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You sound like a good friend.” Kara hoped her face was reassuring enough through the webcam.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kara…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean it! I feel the same way about my friends. And I’m glad I met…you…” A sixth yawn distorted her words. Kara covered her mouth with her knuckles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena’s reply was so quiet, if her mic weren’t so high-quality it might’ve carried over as muffled gibberish, “I’m glad I met you too.” Then, she picked up, “I’ll let you go. Sweet dreams.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sweet dreams.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I wanted to add that I have a really good feeling about you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m glad you reached out to me.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>honestly</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ive been wantning to talk to you for a while (:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>cause I had a good feeling too</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>about you</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>talentedbrilliantincredible.gif</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Is that so.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>and go to bed soon!!!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>queenB</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>tonystark_eyeroll.gif</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Girl</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Three days later, Winn was still sore about Lena.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Awinner</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Whats her deal anyway </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Is she a beyonce stan or something </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Nobodys talking about beyonce anymore </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> ???? </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Awinner</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Her userame </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Ur so mean </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Kara paused to cover her dough with a towel and quickly wipe her hands. She was going to need more than her pinky to talk to Lena.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Leeenaaaa </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Are you a single lady? </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>queenB</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Yes, I am. Why? </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Your username </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>queenB</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> ? </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> ??? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> OH NO I MEANT </em>
</p><p>
  <em> IF YOU REALLY LIKED BEYONCE </em>
</p><p>
  <em> BECAUSE QUEEN BEY? </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>queenB</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Oh. </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> AAAA IM SORRY I DIDN’T MEAN </em>
</p><p>
  <em> SORRY </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I THOUGHT I WAS BEING FUNNY BUT ITS SO LAME </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>queenB</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> You gave me literally 0 context to figure that one out. But I forgive you. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> This may not surprise you, but I’ve been called ‘Queen Bitch’ a lot. That alone would get me banned from plenty of servers for being inappropriate. So, you get my username. </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> What do you mean ‘this may not surprise you’ </em>
</p><p>
  <em> youre so sweet and nice )’: </em>
</p><p>
  <em> youre weirdly chill about it tho </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>queenB</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> I don’t really care whether people think I’m a bitch or not. What you see is what you get. Though, of course, that depends on who you are. </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> I liked what I saw (: </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>queenB</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> You’re sending me a lot of mixed signals. </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> AAAAAAAA </em>
</p><p>
  <em> MAKING DOUGH IM BUSY BYE </em>
</p><p> </p><p>She dropped her phone like it was a hot coal, then turned into a small squealing ball on the kitchen floor.</p><p>
  <em> You’ve only known this person for a little over a week, Kara! Get it together! </em>
</p><p>Lena was just really pretty, and really nice. And mysterious, but not in a creepy way. It was normal to feel drawn to her, right?</p><p>Kara unfurled, her back hitting the door to a cabinet and her legs spreading before her. The polish on her toes needed redoing. Even if nobody would see her feet for months to come, a bit of self-care could go a long way.</p><p>Her eyes closed. Sunlight poured in from the windows lazily, like syrup over pancakes. The house was empty and silent. It was simply one of those quarantine days where it felt like the world outside the house had vanished into an empty void, like the zone past the boundaries of virtual Metropolis.</p><p>This made Kara restless. She told Alex she’d take care of groceries tomorrow, but…she needed <em> out. </em></p><p>Kara dressed, tied her hair into a ponytail and fetched her mask. She called Alex to inform her of her whereabouts, and she implored her to bring something other than ice-cream to stock the fridge with.</p><p>Something <em> other </em>than ice-cream she could do. Kara made a list of spices and ingredients she wanted for her future baking endeavors, inspired by her lengthy chats with Lena about yummy breads and desserts.</p><p>If only it weren’t for this whole ordeal, they’d be able to meet in person. It would be way less weird to be thinking of Lena so much in that case. She probably wouldn’t to begin with, with work and normal life routines in the way.</p><p> </p><p>Kara ignored her phone until she got home and unpacked the groceries. She took care of disinfecting everything, showering thoroughly, then putting stuff away.</p><p>It was all a huge ordeal that left her feeling all the more suffocated.</p><p>She decided to sit outside, in the yard, surrounded by grass and the sky high up above. The birds chirped in the abnormally silent neighborhood.</p><p>She snapped a picture of the view. The sun was just beginning to set. It was the kind of landscape she’d want to replicate with brushstrokes, yellows and reds fading to magentas in the sky. Forgetting the exchange from earlier, she absentmindedly sent the picture to Lena.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Camera__05_16_2020_12.jpg </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> That’s gorgeous. Is that where you live? </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> It’s where I grew up!! My childhood home at Midvale! </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I was living in National City with my sister, but moved back because of the pandemic </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Aaand you changed your username </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> You made me realize how stupid the old one sounded. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I’m clearly not very good at coming up with names. </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> (‘: </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I wasn’t judging </em>
</p><p>
  <em> My username is stupid too </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> It suits you. </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> WHATS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> IMG_051620202.jpg </em>
</p><p> </p><p>If Lena was in the middle of something, she interrupted it to take a picture of the view from her own window.</p><p>Her place was high up the building, where the skyline looked like a tiny scale model. Enormous, glimmering towers spilled shadows onto the streets. Lit windows looked like stars under a fiery, raging sky.</p><p>Kara sighed. For an instant, she felt like she was standing right next to Lena, overlooking the same buildings, the same world.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> What an amazing view!!! </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> The Metropolis skyline. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I keep my curtains closed so I forget it’s there most of the time.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Huh. Metropolis.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Smh if I were you id be chillin right there with a cup of tea every afternoon </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>When Lena didn’t respond, Kara turned off the screen and set her phone on her lap.</p><p>Five minutes later, it buzzed again.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> IMG_051620203.jpg </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>She blessed her with a selfie, where she stood before her balcony with a steaming cup in her hand.</p><p>Her smile was so soft, barely there but content. The vivid oranges behind her only made the green of her irises glint like jewels.</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> You shouldve given me a warniiing!!! </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Hang on don’t finish it yet!!!!! </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Calm down, Kara. It’s still scalding. </em>
</p><p>
  <b>  </b>
</p><p>The only appropriate response for such a generous gift was a selfie of her own. She picked her favorite mug and her favorite tea, then posed outside her house.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Camera__05_16_2020_13.jpg </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Beautiful. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Whether she meant her background or Kara herself didn’t truly matter, as long as Lena felt Kara’s presence by her side just as strongly.</p><p> </p><p>The next day – a Sunday– Kara sat down with the intent of playing Lena’s game for the rest of the evening. Her metaphorical batteries were charged from basking in the sunset the day prior until Alex came home. They spent some quality sister time assembling cinnamon rolls together.</p><p>But now, her door was shut, earbuds in, controller in her hands. She heard a hum or a shuffle from Lena’s side now and then. It was like they were sitting together, watching the game start up and the main menu text flicker on the screen.</p><p>It was all routine by now, really. She didn’t even need Lena around, but it was nice to have her nonetheless.</p><p>“So.” Lena started</p><p>“So?”</p><p>“Are <em> you </em>single?” Her devious smirk was audible through her tone.</p><p>“Seriously?” Kara squeaked.</p><p>“Yeah, seriously. You owe me an answer.”</p><p>“Yes! I’m single, gosh.”</p><p>“See? Was that so hard?”</p><p>Kara rolled her eyes as she zoomed all around Metropolis. There were plenty of sidequests to go through still, but she was really curious about the main plotline.</p><p>She found it through the map at the corner of the screen. Points of interest were marked with white dots, but a large green dot had been persistently pointing her to a large lake in the middle of a park.</p><p>As she crossed the city, flying high above the buildings, Kara chose to take a leap, “s-so, have you ever been in like- a long term relationship?”</p><p>Lena chuckled, “this is how we’re doing things?”</p><p>She pushed up her glasses and blurted out, “you don’t have to answer if you feel uncomfortable.”</p><p>Lena hesitated. Her sigh was loud and deep enough to pass through the noise filters. “I have, but…I never quite loved him the same way he loved me. Because I’m- because I’m gay.”</p><p>“That…sucks for him.” Damn, Kara, that sounded mean. “I-I mean, that sucks for both of you, but-“</p><p>“You?” Lena interrupted her pitiful stammering.</p><p>“U-um, I’ve had- like, two boyfriends.” She shrugged. “I’ve never actually been with a woman, but…I’m bi.”</p><p>Lena hummed, but didn’t say anything.</p><p>The park came into view, its grass texture planes swaying with simulated wind. The glimmer of the lake wasn’t quite right. Kara swept down and, as soon as she entered the vicinity of the green dot on her map, the screen went dark.</p><p>The cutscene began with Kara’s character looking towards the port where a woman and her child played innocently.</p><p>Until the mother fell into the lake. In the blink of an eye, it was all screams and cries and low-resolution water splashing. Control of the character was returned to Kara, whose mission was now to save the drowning mother. It was no big deal. The game had made her interrupt bank robberies, disarm cartels, defeat overgrown mutant animals from lab disasters and killer aliens.</p><p>“What are you doing, Kara?” Lena asked just as Kara plunged into the water.</p><p>“Just starting the main quest. Saving this little girl’s mom.”</p><p>No response was given.</p><p>The rescue was surprisingly detailed. Kara went through quick-time events where she jumped into the lake, grabbed the woman, then pulled her to the surface and lowered them both on the dock.</p><p>The mother and the girl were very thankful. Kara had to chuckle at the ridiculousness of it, with the woman being completely fine after nearly-drowning and no ambulances or anything being called. The screen turned dark again, and when the world came back, the girl and her mother were no longer there.</p><p>“What are <em> you </em>doing?”</p><p>Silence.</p><p>“Lena?”</p><p>“Hmm? I’m sorry, were you saying something?” Her voice was tight and jumpy.</p><p>“I was asking what you were doing.”</p><p>“Just…schoolwork.”</p><p>Kara flew around Metropolis, chasing the next green dot. “Are you alright?”</p><p>“Do I not sound alright?”</p><p>“I-um-“ how was she supposed to reply to that? Kara shifted in her seat as she scanned her brain for a coherent sentence, “you-sounded a little bit off, but if you say you’re okay I believe you. I mean. What else can I do-“</p><p>“Did the cutscene flow well?”</p><p>“Y-yeah! I think. Maybe you wanna look into fancier water physics?”</p><p>“Noted.”</p><p> </p><p>In the next cutscene, the main villain was introduced: a wicked alien who preached about world peace, and the need to impose a new order on the entire human civilization to achieve his dream. He had the appearance of a muscular man, larger than Kara’s hero, with a blue skin-tight suit, ebony hair, spiky like devilish horns and red cursed power coursing through his figure. A large inverted ‘S’, far too curvy to be a ‘Z’, was emblazoned on his chest.</p><p>He was simply referred to as<em> villain. </em>Clearly designed to be the antithesis of the protagonist. And he intercepted the same mother to steal her child for reasons not yet disclosed.</p><p>
  <em> Please, save my little Anastasia! </em>
</p><p>“Anastasia’s a cute name.” Kara commented for no real reason, other than to hear Lena’s voice.</p><p>“The Lost Princess.”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>She stayed quiet, as though her previous utterance were a mistake she wanted to be forgotten. Kara didn’t push, and instead focused on chasing after the villain. He was <em> fast </em>and turned impossible corners with a little girl stuck in a distressed looping animation in his arms.</p><p>Kara ended up disappearing with him into an underground lair. All steel and stalagmites and eerie screens staring down as she walked in, boots clanging on metallic floor. At the end of the large cave waited a wall of glowing monitors, displaying graphs and text rendered unintelligible by the small size of the textures.</p><p>They were a halo to the villain, who stood there with the little girl in his arms.</p><p>
  <em> She has what I need. The power, the flame to purify the world. </em>
</p><p>He held her aloft in his large hands. A green glow surrounded her small frame.</p><p>
  <em> If you insist on opposing me, then you are one of them, who are lost to the madness of humanity. </em>
</p><p>Kara’s hero was undeterred. The glowing girl floated from the villain’s hands, suspended mid-air. In the next second, the large alien charged towards her.</p><p>A few blinks later, a game over screen stared right back at her. “Whoa, what the…”</p><p>That boss fight only needed forty-six seconds to wipe her out. An inescapable combo ended her faster than she could figure out how to break from it.</p><p>“I’m guessing you encountered the first boss.”</p><p>Kara pouted. “You could’ve warned me!”</p><p>“That sort of defeats the purpose of getting a raw reaction.” She sounds a bit lighter, more relaxed than before, but it was short-lived. “Kara, I need you to screenshare, if you can.”</p><p>She sighed and slumped against the back of her chair. “So you can watch me fail over and over again?”</p><p>“If anyone can do it, it’s you.” Despite her nonchalance, she sounded genuine. Or maybe Kara was imagining it?</p><p>This was going to be a long night. She switched windows, turned on the screenshare function, then set down her controller to stretch her arms and roll her shoulders. “You have a lot of faith in me, Luthor.”</p><p>A long stretch of silence ensued, followed by Lena’s low, pointed voice, “I don’t remember telling you my last name.”</p><p>Kara’s heart skipped a beat. That kind of knowledge was nowhere to be found on her Instagram, either (not even under any of her pictures, as if it were a deliberate effort.) Lena sounded severe, accusatory.</p><p>Her body had frozen over at her iciness, and only started thawing a few moments later. Her hands slowly came to rest on her thighs. “U-um, you-you didn’t. My friend, Winn, I told him. About you. He recognized you and he sent me a Wikipedia link, but-but I didn’t open it.”</p><p>“Why not?”</p><p>“It felt wrong. Like I was snooping around. If you wanted to tell me these things, you would. All I really know is your last name and that you have enough of a reputation to deserve a Wikipedia article.”</p><p>Lena hummed, and for a few seconds Kara believed everything was resolved.</p><p>“How did he recognize me, Kara?”</p><p><em> Shit. </em>Kara dropped her head like a scolded child. Her fingers twisted nervously in her lap. “I…I sent Winn a picture of you. From your account.”</p><p>“Which is locked.”</p><p>“He wanted to know that you were real! He’s my best friend. Trust me, he won’t do anything with this information. A-and I <em> am </em>very sorry, I shouldn’t have done that…”</p><p>Her heart pounded in her chest, thumped against her ears, yet somehow the quiet from Lena’s end was even louder.</p><p>Lena’s voice dropped to a growl. “What else have you shown him?”</p><p>“Nothing-“</p><p>“What else does he know, Kara?”</p><p>“That I’m working for you on the game-“</p><p>“How much of it has he seen?!”</p><p>“Nothing at all! Lena, I signed an NDA and I’m honoring it! I swear!”</p><p>There was a shuffle, a sigh, a thump, and then the hang-up noise of the call.</p><p>Several minutes of shocked stillness passed.</p><p>Kara didn’t know when she started crying, exactly. She only realized when the screen turned into a luminous blob and the liquid pooled between her skin and the frame of her glasses.</p><p>“Fuck!” She flung them towards the bed in a fit. Something burned deep and dreadful in the pit of her stomach, bending her over her lap until she was crying into her palms.</p><p> </p><p>Kara would’ve gone to Alex if she were insensitive enough to wake her up at almost midnight. Explaining the situation would’ve helped very little; she was always skeptical about her internet friends, and would’ve rolled her eyes then told her to block and forget.</p><p>Still, her sister was her bestest friend, and really the only friend she could physically interact with during the current circumstances. It was a bit depressing.</p><p>Instead, Kara padded to the kitchen, eyes puffy, to kidnap an ice-cream pint. The plan for the night: curl up, stuff herself with dairy and sugar, and cry into her pillow.</p><p>It didn’t feel right to continue playing the game. While she closed it, she didn’t uninstall it, and wouldn’t do so until Lena explicitly terminated their arrangement.</p><p>Not that Kara wanted her to. Dread filled her at the thought of finding Lena had blocked her, expelled her in any way she could after giving her the best two weeks of her 2020, not before leaving some curt message demanding she remove the game and expressing her disappointment.</p><p>From the get go, Kara sensed the two forces that threatened to pull Lena apart, like two ferocious currents spinning her in circles: an ingrained lack of trust in others, and an overwhelming ache for a true friend.</p><p>And Kara believed herself to be her solution: someone she could trust, someone she could <em> connect </em>with. But she failed. She was cocky. She thought she could save Lena. Fix her.</p><p>But Lena was <em> her </em>fairy. Not the other way around.</p><p>She needed to talk to <em> someone. </em>That night, she felt truly, bone-achingly lonely. She reached for her phone. Her chest swelled with an ounce of hope of finding positive messages from Lena, but the notifications her screen displayed were unrelated.</p><p>Winn was the only other person she could think of.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> I fucked up winn </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Winn )’: </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Im sorry ive been such a bad friend </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Awinner</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> What happened??? </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> I wasn’t suppose dto know lenas last name </em>
</p><p>
  <em> She never told me it </em>
</p><p>
  <em> But I slipped up </em>
</p><p>
  <em> And I betrayed her)): </em>
</p><p>
  <em> By showing you her picture </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Awinner</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> ????? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> You told her you showed me her picture??? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Why didn’t you just say you heard her name somewhere?? </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> I didn’t want to lie to her!!! </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I shouldn’t have to lie to her </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Friendships don’t work like that )’’’’: </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Awinner</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> So what did she do?? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Did she block you? Did she take back her money?? </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> She hasn’t done any of that yet </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Id ont wanna lose her wiiinnn </em>
</p><p>
  <em> But I fucked up </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Awinner</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Listen </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Yeah maybe you shouldn’t have shown me a screenshot of a private account </em>
</p><p>
  <em> But that’s on me I pressured you </em>
</p><p>
  <em> And its not that big of a deal! What does she think im gonna do? What could I even do? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Say that lena luthors coming out with a game? Worst that could happen is </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Nevermind </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Send me her contact, ill talk to her and sign any ndas I have to </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Winnnn )’: </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I don’t think shed like that </em>
</p><p>
  <em> And regardless </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I breached her trust </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Awinner</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Im sorry kara but I think she’s overreacting and hurting you for no reason. Its not a big deal </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Its not like you knew it was her when you told me </em>
</p><p>
  <em> What did she do? Are you okay? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Are you crying? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Didi she yell at you? </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> What if i </em>
</p><p>
  <em> What if I send her pictures of our conversation that day </em>
</p><p>
  <em> And apologize ): </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Awinner</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Goddammit youre bending over backwards for this queen bitch </em>
</p><p>
  <em> This might be your best bet tbh :/ maybe do a screen recording so she cant claim you doctored the screenshots </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Context could help </em>
</p><p>
  <em> maybe </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Youre too good kara </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Be careful </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>This sliver of hope, a tiny light of direction in the dark tunnel, gave her the strength to set aside the half-empty ice-cream pint and move to her computer.</p><p>She surmised that recording her laptop screen with her phone, while ugly, would be the hardest to refute. Faking that was nigh impossible. Kara was careful to show herself clicking into the app, entering Winn’s chat and scrolling down the relevant chunk of conversation.</p><p>Then, heart hammering in her chest, she sent the video to Lena.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Camera__05_17_2020_7.mp4 </em>
</p><p>
  <em> this is all he knows about you. Even if I implied that id talk about how good the game is, we never had that convo. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I’m not trying to excuse anything. Just trying to prove that what I said is true. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I am so sorry. I hope you can forgive me, but if you no longer trust me or want anything to do with me I 100% understand. I’m willing to uninstall the game and return any money you’ve given to me in any way. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>No response came. Lena’s profile displayed a grey, inactive circle. She could be invisible and ignoring her, or logged off completely.</p><p>The heavy, painful pit in her stomach would not allow her respite until the first sunrays spilled into her room.</p><p> </p><p>Noon rolled around and woke her up inevitably. Kara was still so exhausted her limbs anchored her to the sheets. She remembered why her heart felt so heavy as the sleepy daze left her.</p><p>Kara rose when the hunger was too much, even in her current state of misery. In the kitchen, she slapped together a sandwich. She ate in front of the kitchen window, watching the very real grass and the very real trees and the very real, very present car that drove by the neighborhood.</p><p>This world was right, this world was real. Even if she wasn’t a superhero with superpowers who righted all the wrongs, this is where Kara was meant to be. No amount of laser vision would make Lena reply to her any faster, if at all.</p><p>Yes, she checked. She hadn’t blocked her. The money was still in Kara’s account. Winn was very concerned.</p><p>And an email from CatCo reminded her it was Monday and she had an actual job to take care of. Kara groaned, assembled a second sandwich, and wondered how the hell she was going to get through the day.</p><p>She needed something to look forward to.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Alex &lt;3</em> </b>
</p><p> <em>‘Could we have potstickers later’</em></p><p> <em>‘The biggest hugest order ever’</em></p><p>
  <em> ‘Okay?’ </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ‘Did something happen?’ </em>
</p><p> <em>‘Since when is wanting potstickers</em></p><p> <em>out of character for me?’</em></p><p>
  <em> ‘It’s not that’ </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ‘it’s the asking for permission’ </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ‘Point taken’ </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Instead of tea, Kara got into her sister’s coffee. Equipped with a steaming mug of sugary anxiety, she almost forgot about Lena as she typed away an article, though her eyes were still dim and her lips were fixed into a humorless line.</p><p>It didn’t help that her laptop was being annoyingly slow that day. It was unusual for it, being relatively new. Looking into the task manager, she found Lena’s game somehow still running in the background. Kara distinctly remembered making a point to shut it down.</p><p> </p><p>The messaging icon dinged. Kara’s heart stopped jumping each time that happened, expecting it to be Winn.</p><p>In this instance, she was wrong.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> I understand the situation a little better, now. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I’ll be honest, Kara: I still need your help. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I will continue to share my project with you. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>But nothing else.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> okay, I’m more than happy to continue helping you. Thank you for giving me a second chance </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Tonight, 10 p.m.? </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Kara gulped.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> sorry. Im busy tonight </em>
</p><p>
  <em> work </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Tuesday, 9:30 p.m. </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> I’m available </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>That must’ve sufficed for Lena, so it had to for Kara as well.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Truth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kara was nervous, yet again. It was frustrating. For the first time since this started, she just wanted to be done with this game.</p><p>She sat down at her desk with a cup of chamomile in hand. 9:29 p.m. turned into 9:30.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> I’m ready </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran is calling…</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b>  </b>
</p><p>Lips pressed together tightly, she accepted the call. Lena muted herself, of course. Kara’s shoulders fell into a defeated slump before she hit the mute button herself, then shared her screen.</p><p>Kara tried her best to relax, loosen her fingers around the controller, but her every muscle was clenched within Lena’s miasmic presence. The woman somehow managed to hold her at an arm’s length while being miles away.</p><p>
  <em> Just-pretend she isn’t there. </em>
</p><p>Game. She had to play this game. Upon continuing the save, it returned her to the villain’s lair, moments prior to the battle. All she had to do was walk forward to trigger the cinematic.</p><p>This time, Kara focused on dodging the villain to learn his patterns. She lasted an extra minute before her health bar was depleted. <em> Inhale, exhale, retry. </em>With each attempt, another minute was added to her endurance time. The villain was a blue-red streak drawing a tangle of lines, striking the hero faster than Kara could counter. There were moments that lasted no more than five seconds where the villain simply stood there, as if studying the hero as much as Kara studied him.</p><p>An hour later, Kara finally figured out how to take advantage of these openings. Spamming a standard attack was out of the question. She had to land complex, powerful combos anytime she had the chance. She hit him once, twice, thrice, and when he wouldn’t go down, Kara noticed her opponent’s health bar.</p><p>He had several, at least five. They were represented by red dots below the main bar. This meant she had to empty that health bar <em> five times. Five. Times. </em>Kara went pale. The villain wrecked her hero yet again in her distraction.</p><p>This was going to take forever. Kara pouted at the game over screen, filled with despair and resentment. She should probably just…tell Lena that it was way too ridiculously hard. And for the first boss of the main quest? Kara felt genuine fear when thinking about the final boss.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> This is impossible. You should consider knocking down the difficulty </em>
</p><p>
  <em> This is waay too big of a spike when compared to the sidequest fights </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> So you’re giving up? </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>A bubble of irritation burst in her chest when she read that message. Kara chewed on her lip. It was midnight already. Closer to 1a.m.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> No </em>
</p><p> </p><p>And that was the truth. Kara had invested three plus hours already into learning this villain’s patterns, and she had made progress. Giving up meant chucking that in the garbage. She paused to take a gulp of her cold tea, rolled her shoulders, steeled her gaze and pressed <em> retry. </em></p><p> </p><p>“You can stop.”</p><p>“<em> Aah!” </em>Kara jumped out of her seat, earbuds flying out of her ears and controller dropping to her desk.</p><p>It was 3 a.m. and she had forgotten Lena was there at all.</p><p>Naturally, Alex barged into her room wide-eyed. “Kara?! What’s wrong?!”</p><p>Kara felt too embarrassed to properly look at her sister, but managed to respond while sitting back down. “Nothing, just. Playing a scary game.”</p><p>“At three in the morning? God, Kara. Must be nice to work from home.”</p><p>“G’night, Alex.”</p><p>“Good <em> morning, </em>Kara.”</p><p>The door closed, leaving Kara alone with the bane of her existence. She popped her earbuds in and took a few moments to calm herself. Hopefully, she wouldn’t sound too dead.</p><p>Kara unmuted. “I’m really, really close.”</p><p>“You don’t have to do this.”</p><p>“I just need a couple more tries! I’m down to the last health bar!”</p><p>“Then we can try tomorrow.”</p><p>“I have to do some interviews tomorrow and by the time I get to play again I’ll have forgotten and I’ll have to go through all of this again and-“ Kara’s fast-paced rambling screeched to a halt. “If you’re tired, you can go, I’ll keep grinding.”</p><p>“No, I have to be here.” Lena wouldn’t budge.</p><p>It was infuriating, the control and composure Lena projected at three in the fucking morning, compared to Kara’s whiney croaky voice.</p><p>But then, Lena softened to something…almost caring, “you need to rest, Kara. You sound tired.”</p><p>Kara drew strength from her warmth. She gripped the controller tight in her hands and leaned forward. “I got this.”</p><p> </p><p>It felt impossible every time the fight started again and the villain’s health bars flashed a bright, proud red. But she chose this and had to follow through. The whole world vanished, all Kara focused on was the blue blur on the screen.</p><p>It turned into a choreography. Her success depended on timing and her fingers not slipping or getting confused. Eyes stinging, back aching and palms sore, Kara knocked the villain’s health steadily down to the last few pixelated bars. Anticipation crept in. Her heart pumped loud and anxious, and her lungs expanded and contracted in an erratic tempo.</p><p>“Oh my god.” Kara uttered. <em> Dodge, dodge. </em>She only had to land a few more powerful hits. If she missed, she might not be able to survive for much longer.</p><p>Lena might’ve gasped.</p><p>The screen slowed to a halt when Kara’s laser eyes drained the red to empty black. “Oh my god!”</p><p>A smile snuck onto her lips. She could barely pay attention to the cutscene, but she still watched as the villain fell to the ground like a ragdoll and the hero caught the girl in his arms.</p><p>“Please auto save, please auto save.” Kara begged, her voice breathy and spent.</p><p>The screen cut to black, and some white text confirmed her progress was recorded.</p><p>Only then did Kara let go of the controller and slump into her chair, a huge grin plastered on her face. “Oh my <em> god.” </em> Her eyes were <em> burning. </em>If she weren’t so exhausted, she’d be jumping all over the place.</p><p>“You did it.” Meanwhile, Lena laughed, incredulous. “Congratulations.”</p><p>“What time is it?” She slipped a palm under her glasses. The thought of peering at any light source was dreadful.</p><p>“It’s<em> four </em>in the morning.”</p><p>She reached over to hang up the call. “Yup, I’m gonna go to bed. Talk to you later-“</p><p>“Wait.” She exhaled. The sound tickled Kara’s ear. “I…Thank you.”</p><p><em> For what? </em> What Kara did was totally self-serving. She didn’t <em> have </em>to beat this villain in its current state, did she?</p><p>“Sweet dreams.” Said Lena, so smooth and sweet like she used to, and the call was gone.</p><p>It was way too late to dwell on Lena’s weirdness. Kara was out like a light as soon as her head hit the mattress.</p><p> </p><p>She awoke with a kink in her neck and a bunch of articles to type. It was noon again. Her body refused to sleep past that hour, it seemed.</p><p>Checking her phone revealed a message from Lena.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran at 4:13 a.m.</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> When is the soonest we can continue with the game? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Kara didn’t respond until she had a cup of coffee in her hand.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Busy today </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Tomorrow? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Did she <em> ever </em>sleep?</p><p>Kara glared at her phone, bringing the coffee to her lips. Her face scrunched up at the bitterness of it. Needed another teaspoon of sugar. She took her time adding sweetener and stirring before glancing over at her phone.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Kara. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I’m sorry. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>She frowned, confused.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> ??? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I can do tomorrow </em>
</p><p>
  <em> What are you sorry for? </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>But Lena didn’t elaborate.</p><p> </p><p>Two days passed, in which Kara took care of her normal work and got some semblance of a sleeping schedule. Lena popped into her mind from time to time. It only made her feel increasingly guilty for reasons she couldn’t quite figure out.</p><p>It was like a pressure building up in her chest, and the constant walls that surrounded her trapped it all the more until she couldn’t breathe.</p><p>Taking walks was allowed, right? The Danvers didn’t have a dog, but…mentally, she needed this.</p><p>Kara put on a hoodie, a mask, grabbed her phone and quickly texted Alex that she’d be out of the house for no longer than 30 minutes.</p><p>The neighborhood was dead silent outside. The sky was blue and sunny, and the winds were still. Sometimes the trees rustled, and Kara stared for longer than she would have if she hadn’t spent the last week surrounded by virtual canopies.</p><p>Nothing else cared to move. It almost felt like the world was paused <em> indefinitely </em>.</p><p>Right then, a woman turned a corner, walking her dog on the other side of the street. She couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the cute floofy golden retriever. At least it was just a feeling, and Kara wasn’t <em> actually </em>the last human left on the planet.</p><p>What would she do then? Kara wasn’t the type of person who thrived in isolation. She craved connections, people. Her day to day was far richer in terms of interactions before this whole thing started. Now, most of her friendships felt distant. One would think everyone would have more free time to spend with loved ones while forced indoors by a pandemic.</p><p>Kara could only pretend to understand.</p><p>She could also only pretend to not miss Lena. Or rather, what she thought they could become. If anything, the past week reminded Kara that there was much to be learned about the woman, much which would never be unraveled to begin with, now that everything was…done. Just like that.</p><p>It was silly just how happy Lena made her feel in such a short time, but god did Kara miss it. Was their relationship truly beyond salvation?</p><p>Regardless, she hadn’t received word from her in two days since her last vague, worrisome message. Kara’s concerns were starting to go beyond mere longing. What if something happened to her? Strangers checked up on each other all the time, didn’t they?</p><p>Kara slowed her pace to turn her focus to her phone. Lena appeared as offline</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Hi </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Just making sure youre okay </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Its been a while </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Her reply came a minute later.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Are you busy? Could we talk? </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Did something bad happen? </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> I haven’t been very fair to you. And whichever way we choose to proceed, I want to move forward with transparency. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> There’s something I need to explain. So I would like to talk as properly as our current circumstances allow. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> It’s a sensitive subject for me. </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> You’re worrying me ): </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Everything’s fine. </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> I’m taking a walk rn around my neighborhood so if you don’t mind that </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Ill also be home in 20 if youd rather wait </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran is calling…</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b>  </b>
</p><p>Kara’s eyebrows twitched in surprise. Guess she didn’t want to wait. <em> Accept. </em></p><p>She wasn’t prepared at all to see Lena on her tiny screen. The green of her eyes and the sharpness of her features turned Kara’s legs into clumsy jello, and she nearly tripped face-first onto the pavement. “Whoa!”</p><p>“Kara?”</p><p>She swiftly regained her footing and tried her hardest to appear cool. “I’m okay! What’s up?”</p><p>Lena’s shoulders were tense, her expressions were stiff. Green eyes flickered as she searched for words. “This is going to sound…well, I’m not sure, but promise me you’ll let me explain.”</p><p>“Okay?”</p><p>“I didn’t create the game.”</p><p>Kara’s eyes widened. And judging by the way Lena’s jaw clenched, she could see.</p><p>“My…older brother did.”</p><p>
  <em> Oh, god. </em>
</p><p>“He left it behind for me. Begged me to complete it. But of course…” Her tone turned bitter, “he didn’t give me full access to the source code.”</p><p>“Why wouldn’t he?”</p><p>“I don’t know.” She shrugged, bewildered and frustrated. “Knowing him, Lex probably wanted to test me. I’ve been trying to break into the game and decompile everything I can. I even tried playing it to see what that…fucked mind of his cooked up.”</p><p>“But it was too difficult for you.”</p><p><em> “Yes.” </em> She propped her head on her palm, her brow wrinkled in pain. “I spent <em> weeks </em>trying to accomplish what you did a few days ago. I got nowhere near.”</p><p>By this point, Kara had changed course to go back home, and she crossed the distance with a brisk walk. “Why didn’t you tell me?”</p><p>“What did you want me to tell you, Kara?” She combed her fingers through her dark hair. “This is-this is all very personal for me. I don’t just <em> share </em>things about my family. You’d probably have an idea why if you had opened that Wikipedia article.”</p><p>“But you still had to trust someone with the game.”</p><p>“I had to trust someone <em> just enough </em> so that they played through it. That’s <em> it.” </em> Her gaze was intense, her hand gestures, guarded. “But I guess I wasn’t <em> just </em>awful at games and the fight is actually near impossible.”</p><p>She was a fortress. Not quite opening her doors to Kara, but crumbling instead.</p><p>Home came into view right then. As she walked up to the front door, she asked, “then why tell me this now.”</p><p>“You deserved to know. So you understood why I couldn’t just change the difficulty. And so you realized why this matters so much to me.” Lena sighed. “I <em> need </em> to see this through. I feel like Lex is trying…trying to tell me something. Trying to <em> hide </em>something. Or…”</p><p>Now inside, Kara shut the door, then removed her mask from one ear. “I’ll do it.”</p><p>“Kara, I…”</p><p>She tried to add some humor, if only to see Lena relax. “What? You’re already paying me.”</p><p>It bounced right off of Lena. “This whole thing is probably insane for you, Kara. You-you can walk away. You won’t owe me one cent.”</p><p>“Lena, it’s not about the money-“</p><p>“-even though <em> you </em>brought it up-“</p><p>“-to make a point. I’ll get the job done. Nobody will know about anything, you won’t have to risk trusting anyone else!”</p><p>Lena swiveled in her chair back and forth, fidgeting with a pen in her hand. She wouldn’t understand Kara if she expressed how much she simply wanted to help. Paid or otherwise, she would do it in a heartbeat, if only to bring peace to Lena.</p><p>She obviously cared about the game and her brother far more than she would admit, albeit in some twisted, incomprehensible fashion.</p><p>Kara exhaled through her nostrils. “I’ll call you back when I get upstairs, okay?”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p> </p><p><em> The Knight of the Green Sun </em> was among the few things Lex Luthor left behind for his younger sister.</p><p>Lena Kieran Luthor did not half-ass things. Prior to his death six months ago, Lena had little to no gaming knowledge. She was a prodigy child with an entire future planned out for her and no time for entertainment, virtual or otherwise. When Lex’s game fell into her lap, she threw herself head-first into everything: purchasing games, learning about development, practicing the required programming languages and lurking in the community. All for her brother’s last request to have his game finished.</p><p>“You must’ve really cared about him…”</p><p>Lena leaned back in her tall chair, eyes piercing, jaw set, “I pitied him.”</p><p>“Lena…”</p><p>“He was egocentric, selfish…but brilliant. He had dreams. And they ended far too early.”  She swallowed thickly. It sounded like a mantra, words she used to beat down her grief, to turn any ounce of love into something bitter, not worth feeling.</p><p>“It’s…okay to feel bad about that.”</p><p>“He became so weak, Kara.” And there was the admission that painful memories existed, spoken as a whisper.</p><p>Kara would’ve given anything to reach through the screen and take Lena’s hands in hers. She scooted forward, starting the motion. “But you couldn’t have done anything, Lena. A-and you tried to follow through with what he wanted.”</p><p>She hid behind her palms. “You don’t understand.”</p><p>“My parents died when I was thirteen.”</p><p>Lena’s eyes went wide.</p><p>“Robbery gone wrong. I still have dreams about the gunshots.”</p><p>And they were as vivid as anything. Gunshots, thunder and rain. The images were blurry and dark, though, as if she could never open her eyes fully when her mother shook her from sleep and urged her to leap out the window.</p><p>“Kara, I-“</p><p>“It’s fine.” She smiled, and it was true. Sharing her experience had been easier than she anticipated, even if her heart ached the same. “The Danvers adopted me. And then my adoptive father also passed away.”</p><p>“I’m sorry.”</p><p>“So I may not understand your specific…situation, but I do know what it’s like to lose someone important. And feel guilty.” She fidgeted with her hair. “Sometimes I wonder if they’d be proud of me.”</p><p>“Absolutely.” Lena asserted, as though no greater truth could ever be spoken.</p><p>“All I do these days is write dumb articles about dumb things dumb influencers do-“</p><p>“Kara…” She opened her mouth to speak. Instead, she exhaled and slumped into her chair. “I’ve told you more about me in a couple of weeks than I have shared with literally anyone else in years. There’s something about you…”</p><p>Kara shrugged, “I’m easy to talk to.”</p><p>“Well, you’re certainly not humble.” She smiled. “Thank you for sharing. About your parents.”</p><p>“You too.” Kara straightened up. “I won’t share any of this information. I promise.”</p><p>Lena looked away. “I suppose it was just a screenshot…”</p><p>“It was still wrong, and I’m happy you’ve chosen to trust me. We’ll get through the game, together.”</p><p> </p><p>Rather than play, Lena insisted they should spend some time together, just them.</p><p>Kara had a feeling that there was something she didn’t understand yet about all of this. A missing puzzle piece in the large picture that was the game, Lena, and her family. Whatever it was, it mattered to Lena that she and Kara were on good terms.</p><p>So they decided to make some pizza from scratch together. To an onlooker, Kara was laughing and talking with her laptop while dusting herself in flour and flicking bits of dough. Lena was infuriatingly clean, in contrast. Her palms were dough-free, her black apron only had a few floury spots that could be framed as an artwork of the Milky Way.</p><p>Her kitchen looked nice, though. Smaller than Kara’s, which made sense for an apartment, but sleek, elegant and organized.</p><p>The dough had to rise for at least two hours. Alex should be home by then. Lena promised to teach her how to stretch the dough for the pizza, so Kara was content with hanging out in the kitchen. Lena looked so relaxed, so casual, leaning her hip against her counter with a glass of wine in hand.</p><p>The locks on the front door started to turn. “Alex is here!” Kara announced to no one in particular, then rushed to welcome her.</p><p>Even from behind her mask, Kara could tell her expression was tense. She closed the door as Alex stepped in, “is everything okay?”</p><p>She lingered by the entrance and removed the mask. Her eyes darted all around nervously. “Mom asked me to stay at home. Watch the house.”</p><p>“What? Why?”</p><p>“She didn’t say.” A shrug. “Guess you’re a little kid again.”</p><p>Kara pouted, then moved to the kitchen while her sister went upstairs. Alex paused, however. “Why do you have your laptop in the kitchen?”</p><p>“I’m cooking with-“ glancing at the screen revealed that Lena had turned off her camera and muted her mic. She didn’t want to be noticed, “Winn. I’m making pizza from scratch.”</p><p>Alex eyed her strangely, “nice. Try to add more than ten pepperoni slices and you’ll be my favorite person.” Then, she disappeared upstairs.</p><p>“But I thought I already was your favorite person!” Kara shouted after her. Once she was sure that she was alone, she turned to her screen. “Lena? Are you there?”</p><p>Unmute. “Yeah.”</p><p>She fidgeted with the seam of her shirt. “If we’re still friends after this…would you ever be okay with meeting my friends?”</p><p>Silence. Then, “I…I don’t know. My name carries a certain reputation, which you would know about if you-“</p><p>“-read your Wikipedia article, yeah, but <em> you, </em>Lena, you’re not a bad person. What kind of supervillain would take an afternoon to teach me how to make pizza?”</p><p>For this, Lena turned on her camera. She leaned over the counter, shooting her a suggestive smirk.</p><p>Kara scoffed. “You’re not a supervillain! You’re as sweet as honey! You’re a fairy!”</p><p>Surprise flickered across her features. Then, she cocked her head. “A <em> fairy? </em> That’s the first time I’ve ever gotten that one. What kind of fairy?”</p><p>“Maleficent.” Her answer was immediate. “From the 2014 movie. But only the good bits. So not a villain.”</p><p>Lena’s smile grew, and she reached for the bottle of wine to pour herself a new glass, “why does it sound like you’ve been thinking about this?”</p><p>“U-um.” She spun on her heel and fetched the bowl where she left her dough rising, hoping Lena hadn’t noticed her blush. “How about we prepare that pizza now?”</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle at 11:56 p.m.</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> So tomorrow 9:30? </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Yes. </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Hows your friend btw? The one who tested positive? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> And her kid? </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> They’re hanging in there. And they’re sick of me fussing over them. </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Awww </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> We don’t know each other all that well, Kara. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> You cannot say for sure what kind of person I am, and the same goes for me. </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> I’m not a bad judge of character </em>
</p><p>
  <em> And I also know im not a bad person </em>
</p><p>
  <em> But fair enough I understand </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Point is, I’d meet your friends someday. If things go well. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> But for now, we have to see where things go. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Thank you, though. For staying. </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> You’re always welcome </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Bug</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>From the moment she awoke, Kara noticed Alex was on edge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She lingered by the living room, pretending to watch TV but looking out the window. Wandered around the house, or rather, patrolled. It made Kara nervous, to the point she was flicking her gaze outside more often herself. What were they even watching out for anyway?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Streaky meowed, rushing Kara as she poured the salmon pate from a can into his bowl. “Here you go.” As soon as the food plopped down, Streaky’s face was buried in the bowl.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was adorable, even when he was a demanding little jerk. Lena would appreciate that sentiment, so she snapped a picture.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Camera__05_20_2020_3.jpg</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He eats like we didn’t just feed him this morning</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>kieran</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He knows what he wants and knows how to take it. I respect him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Why don’t you have a caaaat</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It would suit you!!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Does your place not allow it</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>kieran</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t have the time to take care of a cat. They do need attention. And I’m only going to get busier in the future.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Awwww ):</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ok but ideally what kind of cat would you get</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>kieran</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Maine coon.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The really big ones??</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>kieran</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The really big ones. They’re majestic.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Though I shudder thinking about all the shedding.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara would’ve remained glued to her phone to continue this conversation if she hadn’t just spotted Alex getting up from the couch to stare out the window for the third time in ten minutes. Her face set into determination, she tucked her phone away under her arm and walked in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alex.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her sister whipped around to look at her from the couch, eyebrow raised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is there something you know that I don’t? You know, about…what Eliza is doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sighed. “No, I really don’t. It’s just…her tone of voice, when she called me.” Her eyes pleaded for Kara to understand. “She said she’d try to make it back soon. A couple of days soon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is she not gonna call tonight?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She didn’t say that, but if she doesn’t, I’ll do something about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara believed her.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>9:30 p.m. rolled by, and Kara was probably as anxious as Lena to know what happened next in the game. Would she ever share what kind of message her brother left behind for her? What any of this- the girl, the villain, the hero- meant? It was none of Kara’s business, really. But she still hoped Lena found her worthy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doing this for Lena felt right, regardless of the outcome.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They connected. The game launched. The controller was in Kara’s hands. As the title screen flickered on, Kara remembered she had something to tell Lena. “By the way, the game keeps launching itself?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It…it what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I keep finding it in my task manager, running in the background. It makes things slow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena stayed silent for a few long moments. “That’s… odd. I…I’ll look into it while you play.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The game resumed with Kara’s hero still in the villain’s lair and the girl in his arms. The villain, however, was nowhere to be seen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her new objective was to deliver Anastasia to her home. Holding the girl limited Kara’s movements severely, but she was still able to fly towards the green dot that marked Anastasia’s place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a random apartment building, just like any other. Kara had expected it to be different, to be more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Overall, she didn’t know how to feel about the game any longer. She had typed up reports with suggestions and possible improvements and sent them to Lena, not knowing that the true developer was dead. The realization was only settling in then, and with it came a twinge of remorse in her chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara gripped her controller and watched a cutscene play, in which the mother embraced her daughter and told her hero that he was welcome whenever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anastasia ran towards the hall and waited there, watching hero as Kara moved him around. The next objective urged her to follow the girl, but she felt compelled to explore the apartment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was mostly empty, full of mismatched purchased assets. Some were blank placeholder polygons.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As she walked around, Kara thought to ask, “So…Lena?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know you didn’t have access to the full source code, but…did you do </span>
  <em>
    <span>any </span>
  </em>
  <span>work on this game?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did. I built most of the overworld Metropolis and coded in a chunk of the quests. Lex left behind a script to follow. As for the city…it was mostly untextured cubes. I didn’t lie when I mentioned the purchased assets. Though I planned to hire an artist eventually.” A chuckle. “I can’t make sense of the sculpting software. I was never one to make art, anyway. I’m better at appreciating.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara was a lot more reluctant now with her honesty, but tried anyway, “y-you can tell it’s purchased assets, but it doesn’t look </span>
  <em>
    <span>awful.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Kara.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean it! It’s playable! It just needs some work, more details. Cars, sound effects…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if I’ll ever finish this, Kara. It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>dream, not-” She sighed. “I just…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara bit her lip, waiting for her to continue, but Lena simply trailed off without destination.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-It’s a big game. I don’t blame you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Kara had one wish, she’d spend it giving Lena Luthor a hug.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Someday, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she told herself, then walked towards Anastasia and pressed the interact button. The girl ran further in and turned into a room. Kara followed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her eyebrows shot upwards when she stepped in. The little girl’s bedroom was fully furnished with vintage-looking, yet luxurious pieces. Lamps, chairs, a large bed- all with details modeled in and high-resolution textures. Kara approached a chess set. Each piece was modeled individually and set on the board with deliberation. To Kara’s untrained eye, it looked like the blacks were winning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You son of a bitch…” Lena murmured, voice breaking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“W-what? Did I do something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No…just-one moment.” She muted, leaving Kara to ponder what the hell was going on, hands slack around the controller.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She spent the next five minutes browsing on her phone with the game paused. There was definitely a considerate effort being spent in not panicking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Lena unmuted, the sound of clinking glass startled Kara. “What’s that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need a drink if we’re gonna get through this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“O..kay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is why I can’t finish this fucking game.” Liquid poured into a glass quite loudly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. “I’m not following.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s my room. Or, a recreation of my room, from back in the mansion. Close enough that…that I can tell.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So the little girl is…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara’s eyes darted all around as she recalled the earlier events within the game. “S-so, the very first-the very first part of the quest, with the mom-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There was no super around when it actually happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The implication hit her like a punch in the gut. Kara turned limp in her seat, the controller thumping against the desk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He got the whole thing wrong, really.” She paused and took an audible gulp. “But it’s not like I ever told him how exactly it went.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“L-Lena, I…why would your brother…do this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck if I know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara grew concerned as she heard Lena refill her glass. She shouldn’t have to deal with this alone. She shouldn’t have to do this to herself to cope, without anyone around to watch her.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She’s an adult, Kara. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She rubbed her brow. “Do you want to continue this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” Came her strained answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure-“</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yes.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” Her next objective was to simply speak to the girl. The pacing of the main quest had slowed enough for it to feel strange. Anticipation thumped at the back of her mind, half expecting a new near-impossible boss fight to emerge at any moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In this cutscene, Anastasia took the hero’s large hand in her tiny palms, then guided him to her window. She wanted to show him something and was very excited about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The blinds obscured the view. Kara was prompted to push a button to draw them, only to reveal darkness outside, as if only a flat black rectangle were being rendered. The camera still zoomed in with interest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you seeing this, Lena?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I-I have no idea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara didn’t dare peel her eyes away nor take a breath as the seconds passed and the game remained still. She tried pressing buttons to no avail.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did it crash-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A gunshot rang loud. Kara yelped and jumped in her chair, then looked towards the door to her room in alarm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, was that the game?! Lena?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, it was the game. Calm down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“God…” She took a few seconds to breathe and let the adrenaline pass. Her heart hammered desperately against her ribs, as if trying to escape a danger that wasn’t real. The shake in her hands only worsened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, Kara. You’re safe.” Lena cooed so gently. She clearly remembered their conversation, where she learned about her parents and her dreams. Kara felt her lips speak pleasantly into her ear. “Breathe, darling.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The memories were blurry at this point in her life, but her flesh felt the panic so freshly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she closed her eyes, all she could see was Lena. Kara wrapped her arms around herself and leaned her head back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena groaned. “If I had known…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t sound fine, Kara.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she restored her gaze, she saw the plastic stars on her ceiling. The light in her room was on, so they offered no glow. But they were there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara swallowed a lump and scooted closer to her desk. Her screen displayed the hero standing in the room, with Anastasia looking up at him with huge emerald eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“S-so you have no idea what that was?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You could send me your save file after we’re done. We can stop now, of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I’m good, Lena, really!” She tried to inject some pep into her words, taking the controller back in her hands. “Okay, what’s next…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her next objective simply told her to </span>
  <em>
    <span>follow the smoke. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She left Anastasia’s home to fly after the next green dot on the overworld map.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Things were…different, however.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Metropolis had always been uncharacteristically silent, but not completely so. There were footsteps, loops of people talking in the distance. This time, its empty gap grew larger and all-encompassing. All the citizens stared at Kara’s hero, stopped in their tracks. Wherever she moved, they watched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Weird.” She chuckled, trying to brush this off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She tried talking to the closest NPC, some guy wearing a suit and holding a briefcase.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Who are you?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>He asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then the next, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“close your eyes.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The third simply said, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“kara.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Her heart stopped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“H-how does it know my name.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You put it in your savefile, remember?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Breathe in, and out. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Right, of course. But that still doesn’t explain…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara took flight, ascending above buildings and trees. Billboards that once displayed her hero’s confident, proud smile, now repeated these phrases over and over as white text over a black background.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Who are you?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Close your eyes</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>kara</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Close your eyes</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“What kind of sick joke…” Growled Lena.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She quickly paused and dropped the remote. “I-is it your brother?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your brother, in the game. His spirit? From beyond?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She let out a humorless laugh, “Kara, spirits and ghosts aren’t real.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“B-b-b-but the game-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-is not haunted. Ghosts aren’t real.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But what if they are!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They </span>
  <em>
    <span>aren’t. </span>
  </em>
  <span>This is probably some funny code he left behind. Repeat after me: ghosts aren’t real. The game isn’t haunted.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She swallowed. “Ghosts…aren’t real.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The game isn’t haunted.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The game isn’t…haunted.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose, pushing up her glasses. “Sounds so stupid…I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, it’s alright. Look at me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara’s hand flinched away from her laptop several times as though it were fire. Eventually, she gathered the courage to minimize the game and switch to Lena’s chat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sight of her immediately soothed her nerves. She sat at her desk, in her study, her green eyes soft and welcoming and the tiniest bit of amusement in her lips. In her hand was a bottle of whiskey, and on her desk an already full glass.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you see me?” She asked. Kara turned on her own webcam and waited until it was on to smile and nod. “Here, I’ll pour you a drink.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara couldn’t help laughing as she procured a second tumbler and filled it just for her. “You’re just looking for an excuse to drink more!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“An </span>
  <em>
    <span>excuse? </span>
  </em>
  <span>I don’t need an excuse. This is </span>
  <em>
    <span>my </span>
  </em>
  <span>place, my rules.” She set the bottle aside, then took both tumblers in her hands. “Cheers.” Shamelessly, she clinked the glasses and downed them both. Kara’s cackling only encouraged her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lena! You’re gonna get drunk!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll have you know I’m Irish, so I’ll be fine, mother.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that another one of those things I’d know if I read your Wikipedia article?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. My father paid good money to keep that one out.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Lena managed to convince her to stop for the night, even though it was barely eleven. She told her where to find the files with the saves so Kara could send them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two went between talking and playing games until it was time for bed. Between laughing and teasing and sharing silly life stories, Kara had almost forgotten about the odd behaviors of the game. The gunshot. The fourth wall break.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the darkness of her room, with the green glowing stars staring down at her, Kara remembered.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>When will you be looking into the game?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>With the savefile</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>kieran</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>As soon as I’m done with some school things.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But whatever I find, even if I find anything, I think we should stop soon.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>?????</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Really???</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But you were so determined!!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>kieran</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That’s when I was still convincing myself that Lex was a good person. That he must’ve left something of value behind.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Even when I saw what he did with my mother’s story, I wanted to believe.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>If its about what happened earlier it could be that</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I dunno maybe he</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Didn’t want anyone else to see whatever that was??</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Not sure if you can do that with code??</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>(I don’t know anything about code tbh)</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>kieran</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s precisely why I asked you for the savefile.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But if putting someone through these things is what it takes to uncover whatever stupid shit he chose to bury in a game of all things, then it’s not worth it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Especially if it’s you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Lena, I’m fine, really ):</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>We can keep trying. I’ll feel better tomorrow!!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>kieran</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m going to do what I can over here. I refuse to keep wasting my time if this is all a sick joke.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You sleep well, darling.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>For the first time in several months, Kara dreamed about the gunshots. She woke up in a cold sweat. It was only five in the morning, so she went right back to sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then she dreamed about Lena, sitting across from her. Sunlight streamed in from the tall windows of a café. She sipped on a coffee and moved her lips, forming words that didn’t reach Kara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn’t matter. It felt so real.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She woke up. Her eyes fluttered, adjusting to the daylight pouring in. The first thing that moved her body was the desire to reach Lena. Her hand grabbed her phone from the nightstand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was eleven in the morning, for a change.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Morning</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Judging by the time, she didn’t expect a response.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>kieran</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Morning.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh my god do you ever ever sleep</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sleep matters lena!!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>kieran</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>IMG_052120201.jpg</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara bit her lip, failing to contain a smile at the picture. As proof, Lena had snapped a selfie of herself under pure white sheets. Her face was covered by a hand showing Kara the middle finger. Charming.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Did I wake you up??</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>kieran</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You wish you were that important.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Omg youre like an edgy little kid</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I volunteer to be your new mom</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Youd go to bed by 9 and only drink once a month (:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>kieran</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>God no. Then it would be weird for me to gaze at your pictures.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara squealed into her palm.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>kieran</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Also, once a month? What kind of monster are you?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t tease me like thaaaaat!!!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>kieran</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You couldn’t handle being my mom.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I could totally handle you</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>kieran</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But not as my mom.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>woody_hatflick.gif</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>AAAAAA</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A cold shower quickly got rid of her blush.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She went about her day as normally as she could with Alex still being tense. In an attempt to calm her, Kara took care of lunch and offered some tea. They even did some cleaning together, knowing that their mother would be home in a day or two.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were just finishing up with the kitchen when Alex’s phone rang. Both sisters flinched, but when she glanced at the caller her shoulders immediately relaxed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who’s that?” Kara asked, cocking her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A friend.” Alex was cryptic as she walked away with a smile on her face. This call wasn’t meant for Kara’s ears. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Hey, Maggie.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Came distantly from the living room.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Okay. </span>
  </em>
  <span>At least nothing bad happened.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She went upstairs soon after. There were some articles waiting to be typed. Lena was active, but silent. There were no updates regarding the weirdness of the game.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Winn, however, seemed to be having a slow day with work. His replies were immediate, and his reddit posts abundant.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Omg that’s so cute!!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I want a dog ):</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And a cat ):</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So they can snuggle ):</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Awinner</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hey you never told me how it went with lena Luthor</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Are you not talking anymore?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>We are (:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>We cleared things up and we’re getting a long really well now!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She’s such a tease tho</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Awinner</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh god are you guys already talking about scissoring</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>WHAT WHER EIS THAT EVEN COMING FROM</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>WINNN</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Awinner</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You bagged a Luthor</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Youre rich now</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Its nothing like that!!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>We’re just friends</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Its just her sense of humor</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Awinner</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Smh youre so lucky and you don’t even realize</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>in all seriousness</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>luthors are pretty shady</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>which you would know about if you read her Wikipedia article</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Shes not defined by her last name</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And we’re just friends</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>We agreed to take things slow, she suggested it</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Im fine and shes not dangerous. Im 24, I think I can tell</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Awinner</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ok but</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>If something goes wrong…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hufflepuffle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You can rub it in my face, fine</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Awinner</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Im gonna go back to sending you cat posts since I cant help you with your lesbian problems</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Kara rolled her eyes. Perhaps Lena would appreciate some of the cute things Winn was sharing, though.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>kieran</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Reddit is for pseudo intellectuals.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But I approve of this image. Very adorable.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Those two wouldn’t get along.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>By 10 p.m., Lena requested they should connect. There was one last thing she wanted to try with the game. As much as Kara assured her that she had recovered from the night prior, Lena insisted this should be the last session, and it would be simple. Hopefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara launched the game and connected her controller. “Hey!” She greeted once the call connected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey. So…” From the get go, Kara noticed her tone was off. “You’re going to create a new save file.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All I need is to get back to that room. The crystal fortress.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Got it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She navigated through the menu, choosing </span>
  <em>
    <span>New Game</span>
  </em>
  <span> instead of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Continue.</span>
  </em>
  <span> This time, she named the file </span>
  <em>
    <span>hero. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Anything but her name would’ve worked, but this was the first thing that popped into her mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fortress was as stunning as ever. Lena’s brother must’ve poured a lot of attention and care into it for whatever reason. “What now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t climb the stairs yet. First…remember that spot with the performance issue?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The one with the lagging? Yeah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wandered around the fortress until she found the exact spot, close to the wall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You managed to trigger these glitches before, in Metropolis. One where you clipped through a wall?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I remember that.” Kara recalled with a giggle how she triggered a super speed dash that sent her right through a building.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need you to replicate that to go through this wall.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um.” Kara bit her lip. In this state, the hero had no access to any superspeed abilities. Still… “Okay, I’ll try. It’s gonna be hard with this framerate, though…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I believe in you.” Her words rang true, shaped by what sounded like a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Half-an-hour of fruitless bonking later, Kara suggested getting the superpower from the pedestal. As long as she didn’t take flight, the game wouldn’t kick her from the fortress.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From then on, it was a matter of remembering how she triggered the clipping that one time. It felt like forever ago, back when she still thought of this as someone’s passion project and not some strange cursed family legacy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a bit of a shame that Lena wouldn’t finish it, though. All in all, the fighting was fun, and the premise of going from zero to hero in a highly detailed Metropolis intrigued her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what are you hoping to find in here?” Asked Kara as she mashed her way through some combos.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is a separate room on this map, and when you step into this area it loads, for…some reason.” A sigh. “I only managed to decompile the walls, but judging by the performance drop, there must be some heavy models in there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see.” Kara stuck out her tongue, deeply focused while going through the superspeed dashes. She managed to get her hero halfway through the wall, but persisted. It seemed impossible, between the camera jumping around like crazy in confusion and the awful framerate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, she popped out the other side. Kara gasped and let go of all buttons, “I did it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I told you, you could do it.” Lena’s own version of excitement was a lot more controlled. “Alright, now walk slightly to the left…there. Now forward, the direction you were facing when you first clipped through.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The area beyond the boundaries of the fortress was dark and empty. The sky was a near-black shade of indigo, while the floor of the fortress extended beyond in solid blackness. She could still see the inside of the fortress, since the game didn’t render the back-faces of the walls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara walked and walked, until Lena urged her to run at full speed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, the floor ended and hero fell. The screen went dark.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It might take a little bit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara nodded to herself and waited.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The hero landed, and the camera followed. He stood in a luxurious study, with virtual representations of items more expensive individually than anything in Kara’s room. Fancy carpets, vintage lamps, a wooden desk with intricate carvings and shelves stocked with thick tomes and alcohol.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Turning the camera revealed a bloodstain right in front of hero’s feet, and shards of glass embedded into the carpet. Lightning flashed outside the window, splitting through the dark of the night. The shards twinkled like the flashes of cameras.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This…this was my father’s study.” Lena said, voice quiet and reluctant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara chewed the inside of her lip and walked forward. The hero’s footsteps rang loudly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I remember that night. I was…ten? Eleven?” A sigh. “I saw my father come home, the angriest I had seen him at that point. And Lillian -my mother, I guess- following him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He went into his study. Left the door ajar. I peeked in to see what they were shouting about.” She hesitated. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>It wasn’t supposed to go that way, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he said. He was holding a glass in his hand. And he crushed it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Such a dark memory, yet spoken with sheer nonchalance. As though it were a funny story from a family trip to the beach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He…he must’ve been really angry.” Kara shrugged, unsure of how to feel as she steered hero around the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lex found me and pulled me away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your brother has an eye for detail, I guess. To make you remember that through a videogame.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He was a lunatic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From sweeping through the room, Kara only found one item she could interact with. A safe on the desk. She pressed the button, prompting text to appear.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[female voice] This is the only way it could’ve gone.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena gasped.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[your brother’s voice] I used to tell my best friend everything.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Then, the game provided her with an on-screen keypad and asked for four numbers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great.” Lena grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is there anything about a combination in your brother’s files?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If there was I would’ve told you. I know those files by memory at this point. And I hate myself for it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara tried to relax in her seat. Different parts of her were starting to feel sore from how tautly she pulled herself into the chair. Even with the distant thundering sounds in the game, she focused on being productive, for Lena’s sake. “Maybe we can try some numbers? Dates of birth? Something else you think mattered to him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena remained silent for a few moments, though Kara could hear her thinking through the call. “Alright, let’s do that first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They went through several years in the 1900s, days and months, even some dates in the 2000s. Lena gave up rather quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think we need to reach out to Clark Kent.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara jolted at the familiar sound of that name. “W-what? How do you know him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Y…How do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>know him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s my cousin.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a long pause. “He was my brother’s best friend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara chuckled, though she didn’t feel particularly funny. “Small world, huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Could you call him?” It was a request spoken harshly, like a demand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” Kara couldn’t fault her. She wanted to get to the bottom of this too. She reached for her phone and scrolled through her contacts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clark used to be a friendlier face before her biological parents were taken from her. They met frequently and played together. These days, his contact was rarely ever used. A call from Kara would surely worry him. She removed her earbuds to hear him properly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the phone rang, the night outside her window caught her eye. Unnerved, she stood to close the blinds.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Kara? Is everything okay?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Clark was predictably concerned. Perhaps too much. His voice was almost agitated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah! I’m okay. How have you been?” She forced some of her trademark bubbliness while pacing around her room.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’ve been-busy. What can I help you with?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He never had any time to spare. Kara bit her lip and tried to organize her thoughts for a proper way to break down her predicament. “So I’m-I’m playing this game. And I found a safe that needs a number in it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Uh, Kara-“</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“When I interact with it, it says: </span>
  <em>
    <span>I used to tell my best friend everything. </span>
  </em>
  <span>And-“</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Who gave you that game?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> He sounded severe, panicked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I…” She gulped. Was the truth a good idea here? Clark was a sharp man, though, and he might know more about the game than she realized. “I downloaded it from. The-um, sister. Of the creator.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Lena Luthor? Why are you talking to a Luthor? Kara?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara steeled her gaze as though she were glaring right at him. “I just need the numbers, okay? I need them to progress and that’s it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The silence that followed was long and painful. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Two-zero-zero-nine.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank y-“</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Uninstall that thing as soon as you’re done. Alright?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The call died and left her feeling bitter. Clark had a way of making her feel like she was twelve all over again. Kara shook it off, tossed her phone to her bed and rushed back to the game.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She popped an earbud in. “Got the numbers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Put them in.” Her voice trembled with anticipation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was infectious, pumping into Kara’s fingers and making them shake. The process of navigating through the keypad with a joystick was agonizingly slow. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Two-zero-zero-nine.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The safe clicked and opened. The camera zoomed in. There was a gun, three bullets, and two pictures.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had been so long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So long since Kara last saw them, her mother and her father. Long enough for their faces to be blurry in her most vivid of dreams.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it was them, in those pictures. She could tell. They were young and smiled so radiantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex Luthor chose these pictures. Edited them onto textures. Mapped them into models and placed them in his buggy, unbalanced, demented game.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara didn’t realize she started crying. She didn’t realize Lena had muted. Her mouth hung limp and her tears poured down, but she only came to herself when Lena did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kara?! Kara!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“W-wh..”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you know these people?” Lena was at the verge of panic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wanted to look away, but couldn’t. “They’re…” The lump in her throat blocked words from forming coherently. “They’re-they…my parents.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Two thousand and nine…Fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>shit!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>A loud bang accentuated her curse, the sound of a fist hitting a desk. “Kara. I need-I need you to uninstall this game </span>
  <em>
    <span>right now,</span>
  </em>
  <span> lock all your doors and windows. Understood?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lena?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then the call dropped.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Kara sat there for infinite minutes, staring at the screen. At her parents. At the gun and the three bullets.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her eyes finally focused on some text at the bottom.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[female voice] Your father’s darkest secret.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Voice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was midnight when Kara showed up to Alex’s door and pounded at the wood. Alex emerged from the other side, her hair disheveled. Her face was a mirror for Kara’s own fear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kara?” She scanned her features, and must’ve picked up on her bloodshot eyes, even in the dimly lit hallway. Her hands gripped Kara’s shoulders. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara licked her lips, “I-it’s, I saw my…I saw my parents, in the game. My biological parents. A-and- Lena, she told me to lock down the house-and-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Game? What game? You’re not making any sense, Kara.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So she guided her to her room, where her laptop screen still displayed the inside of the virtual safe. In her current state, the only explanation she could manage was a tangled, rambling mess. It helped very little that Kara knew just as much about what was going on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it was all the more frustrating that the one detail Alex picked up on was: “Lena. As in, Lena </span>
  <em>
    <span>Luthor.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara closed her eyes, flared her nostrils and grumbled through gritted teeth, “yes, Lena Luthor.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex was horrified. “You’ve been talking to a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Luthor </span>
  </em>
  <span>all this time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes! Yes I have, and I’ve had to say this a million times, but she’s a completely normal, nice person!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That thing about locking your doors and windows </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely </span>
  </em>
  <span>didn’t sound like a threat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It sounded like a </span>
  <em>
    <span>warning, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Alex!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For </span>
  <em>
    <span>what?!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara hesitated, heart pounding in her chest. “I-I don’t know…But I’m starting to suspect you and Clark both know something that I don’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex placed her hands on her lips. Several shades of conflict and resignation flashed through her face. “Look, all I know is that your bio parents had some bad blood with the Luthors,” she pointed at the screen, “and that right there really doesn’t look good for them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you…do you think the Luthors…murdered my parents?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That seems to be Lex Luthor’s final message.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her head suddenly lost all its weight. Kara held her temples, feeling more and more like she was about to either float away or crumple to the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The official statement on her parents’ death was a failed robbery. No schemes, no intentionality. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It wasn’t supposed to go that way. </span>
  </em>
  <span>But now there was a possible plot orchestrated by powerful billionaires to uncover.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then…” Kara swallowed thickly, tried to keep her voice under control, “then Lena was eleven. She was a kid. She had </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing </span>
  </em>
  <span>to do with it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex stepped closer and placed a comforting hand on her arm, yet her gaze remained firm. “You’re right, she </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>a kid. But did she mention she’s about to take over the family’s company? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Luthor</span>
  </em>
  <span>Corp?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do you know that…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mom brought it up a few weeks ago. And now it makes sense why she keeps tabs on these people.” Alex paused. “I don’t know why the Luthors did what they did, if they did it, but they did one hell of a job covering it up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alex…” Hot tears welled at the corner of her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It couldn’t be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena wouldn’t hurt her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her sister, always tall and strong and dependable, pulled her in for a hug. She patted her back and stroked her hair, as if urging her to stand straighter but never forget that she wasn’t alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think Eliza is awake?” Asked Kara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, but we can try calling.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sisters came apart, allowing Kara to reach for her phone on the desk. Her hands didn’t quite work right in the panic of the moment, so she passed it over to Alex.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, I’m not going snoop around your gallery.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara blinked at her. Was this her attempt at easing the tension? “I wasn’t even thinking about that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure.” With a few swipes of her thumb, she dialed Eliza. Three tones rang for agonizing seconds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara swore she heard Alex’s heart jump when Eliza finally picked up. The sound was set to speakerphone, so her voice reached both sisters, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“hello? Kara?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, mom, were you asleep?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“We were about to go to bed-“</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“We?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Both squeaked in a mix of dread and shock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliza laughed, however, as though she had planned to pull their leg all along. “I was talking to Clark, sweetie. Kara’s cousin?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara’s brow furrowed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why is Clark with Eliza?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Speaking of which. Alex, what are you doing with Kara’s phone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, she’s right here.” Her eyes flickered towards Kara. “Maybe you should explain.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, god. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Explain all over again, from the beginning, and get the exact same spiel about trusting a Luthor for the nth time. Kara dreaded it, but she tried nevertheless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliza listened intently. Alex moved to sit at her bed, but Kara preferred to stand and pace nervously. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“And she posted this job offer in a group chat?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Eliza asked, referring to the first message that drew Kara to contact Lena.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. A server with hundreds of people. So </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyone </span>
  </em>
  <span>could’ve reached out. There’s no way she was targeting me for whatever reason.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe she used some weird Luthor voodoo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alex!”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Kara, I need you to listen to me.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Both sisters froze and fixed their full attention on the phone. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“The reason I came to Metropolis has to do with the Luthors. Your parents once collaborated with them on some research. Whatever they came up with, they deemed it far too dangerous to hand over to anyone, let alone the Luthors, and decided to lock it away.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliza let out a suffering sigh. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I received a letter about a month ago, signed by ‘L.’ I knew who they were, and they knew of your identity, so I panicked and came here. Clark and I tried to go through heaps of paperwork to hand over the property to the Luthors, just to keep you safe.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“But why Clark?” Kara asked, walking in nervous circles and nibbling at her nails.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Because he is an El. But the Luthors didn’t want ownership of the research. They wanted to open the safe, and…he couldn’t do that.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, hang on.” Alex interrupted, her eyes flickering to the screen which still displayed the contents of the virtual safe. “Do you think the Luthors were responsible for…Kara’s parents?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“…We’ve always had a strong suspicion. Jeremiah and I. It’s why we chose to change your name and make your adoption as quiet as possible. But…you were found anyway.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Three bullets. There were three bullets, but only two pictures.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m packing my things right now. I should be home in an hour. I never met with Lena Luthor, so I don’t know what her intentions are. If what she said truly is a warning, then…Please be careful, girls.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara tasted blood, and realized she’d sunk her teeth into flesh rather than nail. She hid her bleeding thumb inside her fist and turned to Alex. “We should call the police. Get a patrol car here. Or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She quirked an eyebrow. “And tell them what? That you were spooked by a scary game?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I have to go. Alex, don’t do anything reckless.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Click.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is insane.” Kara collapsed against the wall of her room, sliding all the way down as if surrendering to the pressure of the situation. “This is literally…just-</span>
  <em>
    <span>random.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re telling me.” Now her sister stood in front of her, towering above her with her hands on her hips. Her scolding stare was unbearable and forced Kara to face the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please stop judging me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not judging you. Come.” She held out a hand. “I always lock everything before bed, but we can double check.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara rolled her eyes, then let Alex pull her to her feet.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>As two adult women, sharing a bed was a little odd, but they made it work. Alex’s bed was sufficiently large for them to lay on opposite sides.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took a while for sleep to finally take Kara.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Her dreams were vivid. She was at her old home, the house of the Els.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it was daytime and, when Kara looked out the window, the skies were blue. Her mother was tall at her side and her larger hand pulled her along. Every detail of her face was crisp and defined. The shape of her smile, every lock of her hair, the crinkle at the corners of her eyes…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She took her to a door. Behind it, her father waited by a desk, where a safe rested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They made it a fun family affair as they pressed their thumbs to the machine for it to scan. For a young Kara, this was little more than a game. Except they never played with this toy again. It was quickly forgotten.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The safe felt cold to the touch, even in her dream. As cold as a gun pressed to her forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara opened her eyes and stared down the dark eye of its muzzle. She followed an arm encased in dark clothing to meet the glare of the masked figure that threatened her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, glancing to the side, she saw Alex, sunken to her knees, hands raised by her head. Her gun was on the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex’s eyes pleaded with Kara for forgiveness. Kara shook her head from side to side as subtly as she could with a gun aimed at her face. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s okay.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bring them downstairs,” commanded a woman’s sharp voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Between shouts and shoves and fingers digging into their shoulders, the sisters were dragged across the dark of their own home. Kara bit her lip and tried her best to move onward. Without her glasses and with the tears pouring down, the world was a terrifying blur. She couldn’t hold back a scream whenever she heard Alex grunt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut up and move!” Shouted the man that pulled her, digging the gun into the back of her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were forced to sit in their living room, on the couch where they spent relaxing evenings watching nonsense shows over pizza. “Keep your heads down!” One of the men barked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All Kara could see were the black heels and the pencil skirt of the woman that stood before them, hip cocked in disinterest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kara.” Alex whispered to her, “Kara, everything’s going to be okay-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quiet!” The woman snapped, then took a deep breath to collect herself. “I don’t usually participate in these affairs, but you see, this has been an ongoing issue for- what, ten plus years? At some point you have to do things yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tip of a gun pushed her chin up to face the woman. She was masked from the nose to the chin, and her hair was pulled up into a bun. Her hand toyed with a gun of her own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need something from you, Zora El.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara gasped. She hadn’t been called by that name in over a decade.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman’s heels clicked as she stepped closer. “You have something that belongs to me. Something your parents tried to steal and lock away. And believe me, we’ve tried to break in. If we had succeeded I wouldn’t be doing this…dirty work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll give it to you.” Kara finally found her voice. Her nails dug into the fabric of the couch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good girl.” The woman’s voice dripped with venomous honey. She leaned in, head tilted in a facsimile of affection, “because if you declined, we would’ve had to take your fingers from you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara flinched at the hiss of steel. One of the men held a saw which glinted at the corner of her vision.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why go through all of this?” She asked, staring the woman in the eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is the simplest way, you see. You were meant to go down that night. With them.” The woman stood tall. “Anyway, you’ll come with us-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Shouted Alex.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, keep bitching, and I’ll feel a lot less inclined to bring her back alive. Take her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A rough hand took her by the arm and forced her to her feet. Incessant hammering filled her hearing as blood rushed through her system.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This wasn’t happening, couldn’t be happening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alex!” She implored.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In response came a gunshot. Then another. Echoes of the blasts ricocheted from the walls. The man that held her crumpled to the ground, writhing as he gripped his side. Kara’s eyes flicked towards her sister to see her pouncing towards the other wounded assailant and taking his weapon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex aimed at the woman, the woman aimed at Kara, but her eyes flickered towards the third party.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A figure dressed in black from her toes to the top of her nose stood by the entrance to the Danvers’ household, her own gun fixed on the woman. They moved slowly towards the man by Kara and kicked his gun away before he could reach it with a bloodied hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How</span>
  <em>
    <span> dare</span>
  </em>
  <span> you?” Growled the cornered attacker. “I’m doing this for </span>
  <em>
    <span>you.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. You’re doing this for </span>
  <em>
    <span>yourself.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>The figure shifted; the barrel of her gun trembled. “Drop the gun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>An unnerving laugh left the woman. “You were never a real Luthor. Your brother would be </span>
  <em>
    <span>ashamed.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The green of the figure’s eyes became obvious. It sparkled like jewels, like the magic of a fairy. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Lena?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara unfroze. The world crashed around her. No longer was this a horrible nightmare she could only beg to wake from as she watched on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was real, this was life, and the woman was distracted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara ducked and tackled her to the ground, mustering a strength and courage she didn’t know she had within. A shriek rang loud, a gunshot even louder, and both bodies tumbled to the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get up!” That was Alex, pulling her back by the shirt. Kara stumbled back and left her room to point at the woman. “Kara, go call 911.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll do it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The figure procured her own phone from her pocket with her firearm pointing at the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lena?” Kara tried, voice breathless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With the hand that held the phone, she pulled down the mask. Those sharp features were unmistakable, even in the dim moonlight, as was the hesitant smile. “Hey.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why the fuck didn’t you call for help if you knew this was going to happen?” Alex chimed in, far less pleased to see her than Kara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think Lillian doesn’t have the police in her pocket? Only a Luthor can stop another Luthor.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>wish </span>
  </em>
  <span>you were a Luthor, you bastard child.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“911, what’s your emergency?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Kara watched the world unfold before her eyes, arms wrapped tightly around herself. The events that transpired in the span of less than twenty-four hours rushed through her mind. It was a lot to take in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One moment things were fine, the next they weren’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One moment she was asleep, the next she had a gun pointed between her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One moment the three attackers were making demands, the next they were being taken by police, hands cuffed behind their backs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And, of course, Lena was here. Lena, her internet friend, just a few feet away from her, in her living room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Red and blue flashes poured into their house. Alex was doing a much better job at coping with the situation and carrying on. She and Lena were talking to the police while she sat there being useless. In shock. Paralyzed. Their couch now had bullet holes. The couch that had been there since she was first brought in as a new member of the Danvers family.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The whole scene was all the more surreal with everyone wearing masks. Standing a bit too far from each other. Just pairs of eyes emoting at one another, hands waving to punctuate words and inflections. Something was missing, a hole in a dystopian simulation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena’s were particularly mesmerizing, however. She made fidgeting seem regal and imposing. Her presence owned the room, the cops, even Alex, though she was visibly in a pissy mood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then Eliza arrived with Clark in tow, just in time for the cops to leave them to a tearful reunion.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Even then, Kara couldn’t quite believe that it was all over. Something was just so…</span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong </span>
  </em>
  <span>about her surroundings, about the sound of Clark’s voice bouncing around their kitchen as he and Alex exchanged empty platitudes. This was the first time in several years his words weren’t distorted by some sort of static over a call. He was just…there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And so was Lena. Kara looked up from her knuckles resting on the kitchen counter and out a window. The sky was shifting to the muted blues of dawn. Lena was standing outside, leaning by the railing. She had been reluctant to come inside; Alex’s protectiveness might’ve had something to do with it. Eliza was talking to her about who knows what.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara reached for the coffee maker and poured into four mugs, for everyone but herself. She was awake enough. Caffeine would send her over the edge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clark liked a scant teaspoon of sugar, Alex wanted the bitterness to be completely erased by any means necessary. Eliza liked just a splash of milk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara grabbed two of the mugs and placed them on the kitchen island, right in front of Clark and Alex. The motion interrupted some generic talk about the current state of the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perhaps Clark knew what was coming. Perhaps he felt guilty. He was already meeting her steely eyes before she spoke his name, “Clark…you knew about that game. Lex Luthor’s game.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t know anything about the…message.” Eliza must’ve relayed all the information Kara gave her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex grabbed her mug and leaned in. “What </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>you know then? Weren’t you his…best friend?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He crossed his arms and clenched his jaw, uncomfortable to be between the intense stare of the two sisters. “I was. Up until about a year before his death. I was there when he got ill and weak. The disease was unlike anything anyone had seen before, and no amount of money made anything better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Luthors do have a lot of that.” Alex shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara glared at her to shush and listen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well…when he became bedbound, he decided to hire a studio to make him a game. To escape his reality, I guess. I played a few rounds.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara’s eyes went wide. “A whole </span>
  <em>
    <span>studio? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Lena was working on that all on her own!” To be fair, Lena did have her motives to keep the game to herself and might’ve had the choice to go down a similar route. Just paying someone else to see it through.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clark shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know much about these things, Kara. I did…see Lena a few times in the hospital. We never spoke beyond greetings. I…I don’t know what she’s like.” A sigh. “The last time I spoke with Lex, he was programming some things into the game himself, and he gave me that code. Beyond that, I knew nothing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see…” A wave of fatigue settled on top of Kara. She leaned her elbows against the counter for support.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You okay?” Alex was immediately at her side. “You can go upstairs and sleep, you know? It’s over.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, not with Lena outside, so close yet so far away. “I have to-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound of the front door opening drew three sets of eyes towards a tired Eliza. She managed a weak smile. “Is everything okay in here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara stood straighter in an attempt to not worry her. “Yes.” In truth, her feet were shifting, aching to rush towards Lena outside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What were you doing with the Luthor?” Asked Alex.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Talking to her.” She sauntered closer to the trio. “Poor girl. I really do not think she’s like the rest of her family.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara threw up her hands. “It’s what I’ve been trying to tell you all along! She saved us! But no, she’s a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Luthor </span>
  </em>
  <span>so she has to be cruel and awful and-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kara!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to talk to her.” Before leaving, she hugged her mother. “Thank you for trying to keep me safe.” Then, it was Clark’s turn. “And you too. Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He offered a tight lipped smile and a nod. Kara then moved to retrieve a barely warm cup of dark coffee. Avoiding questioning gazes, she marched towards the front door, took a deep breath, and pushed through.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just in time to see Lena walk away, down the steps of the porch, towards a sleek black car hastily pulled into their driveway. Her heart ached so intensely, as though she was ripping it from her chest and taking it with as the distance between them grew.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lena!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She spun around mid-step, strands of hair flicking wildly. Her emerald eyes were so bright and wide. “Kara…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here.” Kara rushed towards her, offering the mug in her hands. “Coffee.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena hesitated, eyes darting between the drink and Kara herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t add any-any sugar or milk, I don’t know why I figured you liked it dark- </span>
  <em>
    <span>but </span>
  </em>
  <span>if you want I can-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena removed the mask from her ear. Her fingers were so soft as they brushed against Kara’s, taking the mug in her hold. Pale lips twitched into a weak smile. “Do I have it written on my face or something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>God, it’s really her.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena was really standing right in front of her, one foot a step above the other, bringing Kara’s favorite mug in for a sip. Kara was frozen in place, mouth dried into a desert as her brain struggled to process all the details that hadn’t been there before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every strand of hair, every pore, every subtle – yet very telling- shift and flicker of emotion was crisp and clear. No delays, no pixelation. Just Lena, haggard and sleep-deprived and conflicted and so very </span>
  <em>
    <span>gorgeous</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Her magical beauty exceeded the boundaries of technology. The camera did her no justice, ever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara couldn’t think about anything else, really. And it was ridiculous that this is what being pointed at with a gun led to: staring agape at Lena Luthor as she nursed some lukewarm coffee and studied the grass in her front yard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She had to say </span>
  <em>
    <span>something </span>
  </em>
  <span>eventually. “Lena-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kara-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um,” she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, “you go first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena’s gaze darted. She seemed every bit uncomfortable having the low-ground, but then their eyes met and Kara had never seen her so exposed, so naked before. “Kara…I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>sorry for everything my family has put you through. For everything </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>have put you through…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena was too far away. At least four feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“…and if there’s anything, anything at all I could do for you, to make it up to you, just let me know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But she could still…reach out to her, if she wanted. “How did you know that this would happen?” Kara asked, twisting her fingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I received a call from Lillian last night, as you opened the safe.” She glanced at the cup, now half-empty, though she seemed disinterested in its contents. “She said she was going to Midvale to finish some business related to some tech. Sounded really smug about hunting a loose end. I pushed and prodded until I got a name.” Her green gaze locked with blue. “Kara Danvers. From there I figured the rest out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you got into a car and drove all the way here with a gun, in the middle of a pandemic to…save me. From your own mother.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena shook her head. “I wasn’t-I wasn’t going to just </span>
  <em>
    <span>sit </span>
  </em>
  <span>there while-“ Deep exhale, and she closed her eyes shut to hold back emotion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara could reach out to her. She could touch her shoulder, she could hug her, completely disregarding the recklessness of the action.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She could take the mug from her hands, dig her fingers into the fibers of her shirt, lean in to feel her intoxicating scent, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>kiss her.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>It was all very real, and it felt so very right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They came apart far too early. It might’ve been a trick of the lighting, but Lena seemed to be blushing as furiously as Kara. No, she definitely was, and Kara smiled knowing </span>
  <em>
    <span>she </span>
  </em>
  <span>caused it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-I, Kara, that…that was risky. I could be a carrier and-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara pecked her lips to halt her stream of words, “you’re worth it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She narrowed her eyes with skepticism. “Probably not, considering there’s evidence for long-term side-effects of the-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whatever followed was lost to a kiss that made it all fade away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara dismissed the coffee mug by placing it on the railing, so she could hold Lena’s wrists in her hands. Armed with her most powerful puppy eyes, she begged, “stay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kara, I can’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lena-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need to go back to Metropolis. That’s where my studies are, where LuthorCorp is, which I will be taking over as CEO soon and you would have known about this if-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I read your Wikipedia article?” Kara shrunk her shoulders. “I think I made it pretty clear how I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>gonna do that. I want to get to know </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And </span>
  <em>
    <span>that’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>why I…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why you…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena pressed her lips together, then let it all out in a single breath, “why I like you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara bit her lip. Her heart felt so heavy and full it might explode if she didn’t convince this woman to get a full night’s sleep and a hot meal before leaving. She squeezed her hands, tried to pull her closer. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Stay, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Lena. It’s already daytime. You probably haven’t had any sleep in close to twenty-four hours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Those are rookie numbers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Lena.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p><span>“I </span><em><span>can’t.</span></em><span>” She glanced past Kara’s shoulder, at her house.</span> <span>“I don’t think I would be very welcome, anyway.”</span></p><p>
  <span>“Did Eliza say something to you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, she actually offered me the same thing, but…you should be able to relax with your family, I…please treasure them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do, </span>
  <em>
    <span>trust</span>
  </em>
  <span> me. I owe the Danvers </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>are </span>
  </em>
  <span>a Danvers.” Lena’s hands slipped from Kara’s hold to land on her shoulders. “You’re as kind as your mother, protective like your sister. You…deserve each other.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You deserve kindness and protection. You </span>
  <em>
    <span>protected </span>
  </em>
  <span>me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stepped back. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>have </span>
  </em>
  <span>to go, Kara.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Someday, Lena would stop denying herself a slice of paradise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Someday, she would have far more than the cursed crumbs of faux love her family left behind for her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara licked her lips. “But…but what about the safe? My parent’s safe? Do you want it?” Part of her wanted to get rid of it ASAP. The other thought of her mother and her father, and knew they wouldn’t appreciate that choice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stood a little straighter, a little squarer, like a woman who was raised to fight her way through a cutthroat industry. “I want…for you to learn what that safe contains, and if you believe you can trust me with that tech, then you can hand it over to me if you so choose. But I won’t kill you for it.” Her tone turned icy and sharp. “And if anyone else tries, I’ll take care of them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perhaps Kara should be more worried, more afraid. But it was hard to think of anything else but the sheer incredibleness of the woman that stood in front of her. All she could do with her face was smile stupidly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well…” She started, trying to regain the ability to speak. “I can already tell you’ll make a great CEO. I got shivers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lena loosened and shrugged. “Some just say I’m dramatic. But I like your take better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kara let herself laugh at that, then gazed at her longingly, pulling at a thread on her shirt. “You’ll reach out to me, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Lena gently held her face to kiss her, yearning. A symbol of reassurance. Her eyes twinkled with pooling tears. “Of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For now, Kara had to watch her leave, watch her take a piece of her heart with her back to the city.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Start</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Finally, it's here. I'm sorry it took so long to post! I had most of this chapter done, but then I was hit with severe burnout towards this ship in particular. I owe <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25658278/chapters/62290195">love like on a silver screen</a> by powergrapes for helping me appreciate this pairing again. The way they handle the characters was a breath of fresh air for me.</p><p>Anyway, hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b> <em>kieran at 11:16 a.m.</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> I wish I could see you. </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle at 11:21 a.m.</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> You couldve stayed </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Foras long as you w anted </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> I can’t. </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle is calling...</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b>  </b>
</p><p>Kara was too good for her. Lena had seen her as a fairy, at first, the kind that popped out of nowhere to spread happiness and cute art and emojis and way too many exclamation marks. She was everything Lena thought she would find obnoxious at best and odious at worst, everything Lena wouldn’t have realized she needed. Not consciously, at least.</p><p>So, unconsciously, she had decided to trust her. She came to see her as more of a knight as time went on. Kara swooped into her rescue, beat up the bad guy in the videogame no matter what it took (not even realizing how much it meant) so Lena could see how twisted Lex had been.</p><p>It was no less startling to learn that Kara also likened Lena to a <em> fairy, </em>of all creatures. Though, of course, it had to be Maleficent. Coming from Kara though, Lena couldn’t even force herself to take it as an insult.</p><p>The universe was absurd. And Lena was a brat.</p><p>Her thumb shook, hovering over the <em> Accept </em> button. Kara was too good for her. Kara, whose family was destroyed by Lena’s own. Kara, whose light was almost snuffed <em> in Lena’s name. </em></p><p>Lena was a Luthor, and Luthors were undeserving of all things Kara.</p><p>The screen of her phone repelled her thumb. It was like trying to force two magnets together while they faced their equal pole. The call went unanswered.</p><p>Lena sat on the kitchen floor, leaning against the doors to a cabinet and drinking straight from the bottle of wine. It was all she could muster since arriving from the drive back to Metropolis. She was exactly the kind of thing Lillian would hate to see. Pathetic, weak, <em> human. </em></p><p>All the curtains were drawn shut, plunging her small apartment into a dark fog of silence. Only here would she let herself weep. Ugly and loud, with sobs that rocked her whole body.</p><p>Lex would be laughing at her for crying over a girl.</p><p> </p><p>Oh, yes, if there was an afterlife, Lex was certainly laughing.</p><p>Kara reminded Lena of her own humanity. The Luthor name needed a machine, so she logged out of her socials without a word and focused on work. She lasted a whole week.</p><p>But in a week she learned what she needed. Six months ago, Lex gave a copy of the game to Lena, but also to <em> Lillian, </em>with a completely different set of instructions. Of this she learned from Lillian herself, through a call in which she switched from spitting venom to pure fire all the way from her holding cell.</p><p>She found the pen drive and the letter at the LuthorCorp HQ. The building was shut down due to the pandemic, so Lena freely rummaged through the CEO’s office in search of clues.</p><p>While the game was Lex’s burden to Lena, it was a gift to Lillian. The letter alluded to the source code containing the location to a key. It would be Lillian’s, if she found a way to dig through layers of encryption and cyphers. After all which transpired, it was obvious to Lena that the godforsaken ‘key’ was the lost daughter of the Els.</p><p>Lex had found Zora El, now Kara Danvers. He uncovered her whole identity, her residence, and left her fate up to Lillian’s cunning and willingness to play into his true game.</p><p>Did he expect Lena to help her? Did he want to shock her with the truth?</p><p>Was he hoping to pit them against each other as his last dying wish? His ultimate joke?</p><p>That afternoon, in the privacy of her apartment, she threw up. Then drank. Then threw up again.</p><p> </p><p>Lena also found time to visit the warehouse that held the safe. It was a modestly-sized black box kept at the very back, covered in dents and scratches and cuts that hardly penetrated half an inch into the metal. Lillian tried everything to break in.</p><p>All she could do was look at it, curse it in her mind, and briefly entertain the idea that perhaps the safe was made of a never before seen material.</p><p>But she also learned, as she went through the LuthorCorp files (which she did a lot in between sleeping and school,) why the Els would give up so much to protect their research. Even during Lionel’s regime, the company’s efforts were shifting towards military tech focused towards the offense. Destroy before we are destroyed. The Els chose death over helping orchestrate a possible war. But was risking Kara’s life also in their plans?</p><p>It was all madness, a mere peek behind a curtain that had been staring at her since her true mother’s demise. And now all the sins and the skeletons were hers.</p><p>She wasn’t ready.</p><p>She wasn’t ready at all.</p><p>She swiveled away from the three screens which bombarded her with white text over black background. In her shaking hands was her phone. Her heart pounded. She struggled to breathe.</p><p>Lena felt so painfully human. She thought of Kara. Did she hate her now, like she should?</p><p>The self-hatred must’ve run deeper than she anticipated, because she found herself attempting to log back into her account. On the third try, the app accepted her password and revealed her contacts to her.</p><p><em> Hufflepuffle </em>was offline. It was 3 AM. Lena shouldn’t be expecting any different.</p><p>This could also mean she was thoroughly blocked.</p><p>Lena needed a fucking drink if she wanted to do this. <em> Did </em>she want to do this? Her heart definitely ached for Kara, no matter how much work and equations and Luthor blood and gore she tossed at it. The throbbing still rippled through her veins.</p><p>She had only known her for a month, yet every part of her was addicted to her energy, her smile, her…<em> her. </em></p><p>Lena returned to her seat and her phone with a bottle of scotch and a glass. She would ditch the latter if everything went wrong (which it most likely would) and she needed to wallow in self-pity.</p><p>Pouring the drink one-handed, she thumbed through the screen and into Kara’s chat.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>May 22, 2020</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle at 11:22 a.m.</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Lenaaaa </em>
</p><p>
  <em> You o ay </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ??? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ): </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Sleep </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Sleepy </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Ttyl ): </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Hopw ur ok </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle at 4:13 p.m.</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Hiii </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I’m still tired but </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Anyway are you there? Is everything ok? </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b> <em>May 23, 2020</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle at 1:03 p.m.</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Hi. I’m a bit worried, are you okay? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I don’t wanna be a bother </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b> <em>May 25, 2020</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle at 1:43 a.m.</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> I’m sorry if I made you  feel uncomfortable </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I’m so sorry </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Oh, shit. She was talking about the kiss, wasn’t she?</p><p>Lena downed a full glass in one swig, set it aside, and slumped into her chair. It was May 30th already. Long enough for Kara to be deep into the misconception that Lena was in no way replaying the moment in her head every day, nor waking up with the memory of her scent and her smile.</p><p>She really didn’t deserve Kara.</p><p>Her heart stopped when she considered- what if she <em> did </em> get sick from their closeness that day? <em> Oh shit, oh fuck. </em>She quickly began typing.</p><p>
  <em> ‘Hello. I deeply apologize for my continued absence-‘ </em>
</p><p>Who the fuck was she writing to? Her professor? Lena needed another drink. She poured it and dutifully drank it.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Don’t be sorry. I should be sorry for being absent for so long. I hope you’re well, and that you still want to talk. It’s okay if you don’t. Again, I’m sorry. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>It was 3AM. If somebody deserved a response at such an unhealthy hour, it was certainly not Lena.</p><p>But the grey icon flickered to an active green. Kara was awake.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Omg im so happy I get to hear from you!!! I was so worried!! </em>
</p><p> </p><p>God fucking dammit. There was no choice for Lena but to crumple up in her chair and bawl her eyes out. The tears simply jumped out without a care that she was a billionaire Luthor who shot two men and put her own mother in prison, because she was a human all the same.</p><p>Through teary eyes and obnoxious sniffles, she read Kara’s messages.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> I don’t even care lena I just </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Wanted to know you were safe </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I really really worry you know ): i stopped messaging cause I didn’t want to bother you but </em>
</p><p>
  <em> God i </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Please don’t do that again </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Talk to me, about anything, about everything </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Just tell me what you need. I want to be here for you </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> I don’t fucking deserve you Kara </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I don’t deserve you or anything you want to give me or </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Why can’t you see it, why do you insist on being nice to me after everything that’s happened </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Do you want me to call you? </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> It’s 3 in the morning </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Please? </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> I’m ugly crying </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle is calling…</em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p>Lena wanted this, but the shame was so great, so overwhelming. This hurt so much more than Kara turning her away.</p><p>It was like holding her finger on the trigger. Accepting the call would fire the gun. And Kara was taking the barrel, pressing the muzzle against her chest and <em> begging </em>her to do her worst.</p><p>She had to know better than this, after losing her family and home and almost her life to the Luthors.</p><p>Lena gasped, feeling her heart twist upon itself. She wanted her <em> so badly. </em></p><p>So she fired the gun. She let Kara in.</p><p>“Hello?” Her voice was croaky and tired through the phone. She must have been in bed already, in the dark. Looking at cat pictures, maybe, since her reply was so speedy.</p><p>Lena gulped, licking her lips, <em> remembering how to talk to anyone. </em>It had been at least two days already since she muttered anything beyond a ‘good morning.’</p><p>“Can you hear me? Lena?”</p><p>“Y-yeah. Kara, I…”</p><p>“Hey…” The sound of her voice fell over Lena like a blanket, so rich with relief and joy she imagined Kara’s smile and the fall of her chest.</p><p>Lena didn’t know what to say, didn’t know what to do with herself other than stare at her phone or cry. She set it down on her desk and pillowed her head on her arms.</p><p>Apparently, Lena’s brain needed several minutes to form a coherent sentence. “Have you been…checking your temperature?”</p><p>“Huh? Oh. Yeah, I’m fine. I haven’t gotten sick since I was little. Somehow. Don’t ask me how.”</p><p>Lena smiled softly. At least there was that.</p><p>“N-not saying I’m immune to the virus or anything, just-random fact from my-anyway-” There was some rustling from Kara’s side. “You?”</p><p>“I’m good.”</p><p>“How’s your friend and her daughter?”</p><p>“Better. They seem to have recovered from it, but…I insisted they kept checking in with their doctor for long-term symptoms.”</p><p>Kara hummed in response.</p><p>Through the hushed tones and her falling eyelids, it was like they were sharing a bed, a pillow even.</p><p>Lena did run from Kara as a bit of a <em> fuck you </em> to the universe. She would repeat it as a mantra: <em> Kara deserved better, and she would get better than a Luthor. </em></p><p>Maybe Kara didn’t want any better.</p><p>So Lena prayed – and she had never prayed before, not to anyone or for anyone. She prayed that Kara’s bones were made of dense heavy steel down to the marrow, so they could stop the bullet from the Luthor’s curse.</p><p>“Kara?”</p><p>No response. She must’ve fallen asleep.</p><p>Lena followed her.</p><p> </p><p>She awoke six hours later with the mother of all back aches. Soft, lazy sunlight filtered in through the curtains. Her spine painfully straightened as she raised herself from the desk. Drool covered her cheek in disgracing smudges, and she had forgotten to put away the scotch.</p><p>Her ears picked up an odd, scratchy sound. A groan? A grunt? It repeated in a steady rhythm. Lena darted her eyes all around searching for the source, only to realize the call was still going and Kara was <em> snoring. </em></p><p>Was she supposed to hang up? Leave a message? Waking her up was a dick move, but she also didn’t want to abandon her.</p><p>She did none of these. Instead, Lena made herself a coffee and started her day.</p><p>Life went on with Kara in it.</p><p> </p><p>Neither addressed the elephant in the room for a whole day. Lena felt just a little bit normal, as much as was possible while arranging for a temporary fill in for the CEO chair while she finished her degree. And with the date of her mother’s trial looming closer and closer.</p><p>But then it was June, and Lena felt inclined to open the curtains and contemplate Metropolis with a cup of tea.</p><p>The distant buildings appeared fake and unreachable, a picture plastered on to hide the illusion of a small, shallow world.  The streets closer to her building were crowded with cars, pedestrians walked back and forth, some lingered about with a cigarette between their fingers.</p><p>Lena pressed her forehead to the glass of her window. Briefly, it felt like the screen of a monitor.</p><p>“Lena?” Came Kara’s voice from the phone in her hand. They spent so much time together that it felt easier to keep her there.</p><p>It was funny to imagine her as a tiny woman, a Tinkerbell, posed on the palm of her hand. Lena sipped from her mug. “Hm?”</p><p>“Did your brother plan for me to play his game?”</p><p>“Doubtful.” Any mention of the stupid game or her stupid brother made her suck in a painful breath. “There were way too many variables involved in us meeting. It was pure luck.” And he would’ve loved it. Though he would love a lot less knowing that both Lena and Kara had wiped any trace of the game from their machines, and all the files were copied to a hard-drive destined to collect dust for the rest of eternity.</p><p>Kara laughed from the other end. “What luck.” A pause. “Eliza- my mom, she’s been asking about you.”</p><p>Come to think of it, she probably should do something about compensating the Danvers for all the troubles. “I’ll give you my number. You can pass it along to her if she’d like to talk.”</p><p>Kara made a high-pitched noise, as though she were stretching her arms high above her head. “Yes, ma’am.”</p><p>“You’re ridiculous.”</p><p>“…Another thing. Which is probably going to make things awkward.”</p><p>“Even more so?”</p><p>“What are we, Lena?”</p><p>She nearly dropped her mug, and gripped the handle tighter even. “W-well, we’re…humans, as far as I’m aware-“</p><p>“I’m serious, Lena. I need to know…that I didn’t cross a line I wasn’t supposed to when I…when I kissed you.”</p><p>“You didn’t.” Her reply came so quickly it was embarrassing. “I mean, I wanted…I like you, but <em> god </em>you scare me.”</p><p>“S-sorry?”</p><p>“I don’t know if this is right or wrong, I don’t know if I’m going to end up hurting you some way or another, I don’t know if we’re going to feel the same after spending more than ten minutes talking in person.”</p><p>“Then we’ll find out.” The hope in her words was infectious. It wrapped its hands around Lena’s heart and made her <em> believe </em>that things could be alright. “We’ll find out. I’m ready. Though, after everything we went through, and after you saved my life…my bets are in that we’ll make it.”</p><p>Lena would kiss her right then and there if she could. And it would’ve been perfect, like the romcoms she wouldn’t admit to anyone she enjoyed.</p><p>She closed her eyes. Her heart beat steadily, as human as anything. “Then we’ll be whatever you want to be.”</p><p>“Together?”</p><p>“Together.”</p><p> </p><p>A month later, Kara invited her to a server called <em> SuperSaga. </em> Turns out it was created for the development of <em> Superdog, </em>and there were four members in the team: two artists, a programmer, and a composer.</p><p> </p><p><em> A wild </em> <b> <em>kieran </em> </b> <em> has appeared! </em></p><p>
  <b> <em>Awinner at 11:43 p.m.</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Heeeeeeey </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> This is my gf kieran!! Please be nice or youll scare her away </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Awinner</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Like a cat </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Get it? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Because YOURE STEALING MY SEAT AS PROGRAMMER FOR SUPERCAT </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> I said be nice winn!!! </em>
</p><p>
  <em> And its not my fault you keep saying youre busy ): </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Awinner</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> I have to finish this huge feature for work wtf </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Why isn’t anyone coming to my aid </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> They’re asleeeep </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>kieran</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Should I leave? I’m clearly sparking some discord in your very dead server. </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Hufflepuffle</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> No I think youre mean enough </em>
</p><p>
  <em> You deserve to stay </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Awinner</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Yeah, welcome to the crew </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Hope they treat you well </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I’m here to help if you have questions about the engine </em>
</p><p> </p><p><em> Supercat </em> was a cute, simple platformer with straightforward controls and a harmless plotline. Upgrading the <em> Superdog’s </em>physics engine was relaxing child’s play in comparison to the rest of her clusterfuck of a life.</p><p>She got to see Kara designing and painting colorful, dynamic backgrounds for the first time in a while, and she was beaming.</p><p> </p><p><em> Supercat </em>was completed in six months and was moderately successful. It was praised for keeping the spirit of its prequel while improving most aspects. Every cent was donated to charities and shelters. The game was so thoroughly adorable no one would ever guess the ruthless Lena Luthor had anything to do with its creation.</p><p>Lena was only glad the knowledge she reaped in her attempts at completing Lex’s game was put to good use.</p><p>It was a fun experience. Game development would’ve been a nice hobby if she weren’t the CEO of LuthorCorp. There was simply no time.</p><p> </p><p>But Kara never left her side. Didn’t even hint at the prospect at any point. Not even when Lena became so bogged down by work and rebranding and relocating and re-everything that she couldn’t spare any time to see her.</p><p>Really, Lena never stopped thinking about how much she didn’t deserve Kara. She half expected life to take this blessing away from her at any moment, even as she left her CEO office, told her secretary that she would be having coffee with her significant other, and took the elevator on the long way down the L-Corp building.</p><p>Her phone dinged as she exited through the front doors.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>kara at 11:50 a.m.</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> IMG_041920213.jpg </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I’m here (((: </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>The picture teased her, showing the table of the cozy café where Kara was already waiting. For some reason, Kara had insisted for <em> months </em>that they had to meet up and it had to be in a café.</p><p>Anything Kara made the cold, calculating CEO smile like an utter fool in the middle of the sidewalk.</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Lena</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> On my way. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Lena entered her vehicle and told her driver the destination. Her heart pounded all the way, which was enough indication that they didn’t meet anywhere near often enough.</p><p>The café was small, but fancy in its décor. People were scattered evenly across the establishment, still wearing masks and keeping distance from one another, the echo of a time where there was no vaccine to prevent an invisible threat that floated among them. Things would perhaps look like this for a long while into the future.</p><p>Lena couldn’t brood about it for long when her eyes easily found the blonde with the smile that absolutely shredded her composure. She waved at her from a table close to the window. And she was weirdly excited for just some coffee (it’s not like they haven’t been to each other’s apartments already.)</p><p>They looked different now, individually at least. Kara dressed in modest reporter clothing, while Lena sauntered across the café with high heels and a pencil skirt. They were career women with little to no time for games and murder mysteries. About the age where people talked about marriage and families and-</p><p>“Hey!”</p><p>“Hello, darling.”</p><p>And even as she leaned down to hug Kara before sitting right across from her, Lena doubted for the nth time whether she, a Luthor, would ever be able to give her partner the life she deserved.</p><p>Kara was practically bouncing in her seat when they were served their drinks. A dark coffee for Lena, a tall sugary drink crowned with swirly frosting for Kara. “So,” she started, already smearing frosting all over her nose from messily licking at her drink. Some things wouldn’t change, “how was your day?”</p><p>Lena rolled her eyes, not at Kara, but at how ridiculous her life had become, “oh, you know, the usual.” She lost herself in describing her unending work, the insufferable meetings with a board that barely took her seriously, then animatedly describing some progress in some tech they were developing while taking sips of coffee in the middle.</p><p>“God, it’s just like in my dream.” Kara gazed at her. The blue in her eyes was a lake rich in adoration. Here, in real life, Lena could make out those details that were lost to a camera and crappy connection. The flecks of gray in her irises, the soft waves of her hair drawn by individual golden strands, the odd freckle and the scar on her eyebrow.</p><p>Lena blinked, licking her lips.  “You…a dream? You had a dream about this?” Kara often had very vivid dreams which she would recount every morning. This one in particular, she didn’t remember.</p><p>“Yeah, you…sitting there, we were in a café and you were drinking coffee and you were so beautiful and…” Kara reached across the table for her hands. “I love you. And I’m so glad I met you even if it was so <em> random </em>and grim and weird…”</p><p>Was…</p><p>Was Kara going to propose?</p><p>Lena struggled to speak with her throat so instantly parched. She would drink from her bitter coffee if her hands weren’t restrained by her lover’s warm hold. “I…I love you too.”</p><p>No proposal came, thankfully (she could think of better ways this could go down. In private, for starters, and Lena really wanted to do the proposing.) Kara just smiled at her like she was the best thing to ever happen to her.</p><p>This moment had to exist for a reason, so Lena’s brain spat the next best thing she could think of, “w-we should move in together.”</p><p>“Sure.”</p><p>“Like, really soon.”</p><p>“Totally. Your place?”</p><p>“I could move into a dumpster with you and be perfectly happy- <em> don’t </em>actually test that, please.”</p><p>Kara snorted, and it was glorious. In her silliness and her genius and her pure smile, Lena saw her future with alarming ease.</p><p>Except… “Kara, we’ve been...forgetting something.” Lena let go of her hands. Her fingers threaded together on the desk, a reflection of what she looked like in her CEO office when she sat across a suited investor instead of her darling of a girlfriend.</p><p>Distraught and confused, Kara asked. “What is it?”</p><p>“The safe.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>No spoken words were exchanged then. Through glances alone, they agreed on what to do.</p><p> </p><p>The only way to learn what was contained in the safe was to open it.</p><p>And the only one who could was Kara Danvers. Zora El. Only when she knew and understood could they finally put the matter of the tech’s ownership to rest indefinitely.</p><p>Lena drove them to that Luthor warehouse later that week. They sat in tense, yet companionable silence through the drive there. Long enough they had spent together that they could stand as a unit against adversity. Lena made a mental note to start shopping for engagement rings.</p><p>The inside of the warehouse was a snapshot of that time a year ago, except dust fell like snowflakes. Nobody had been authorized to step into this building for the sake of ensuring the safe remained where it was meant to be, nobody until then.</p><p>Kara and Lena walked in hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder. Kara was tall, her grip firm. Her adorable face sent shivers down her spine when set in determination. She had grown so strong. Lillian couldn’t tear her down.</p><p>But Lena still held her head high, if only to appear as the solid pilar Kara could lean on whenever she needed.</p><p>They found the beaten up safe in the darkness at the very back of the room, cold, hard and dead.</p><p>“Are you sure you’re ready?” Asked Lena, squeezing her hand.</p><p>Kara nodded with resolve. “I want- <em> need </em>to put this behind us. Once and for all.”</p><p>“Go ahead, then.”</p><p>Kara pressed her thumb to the machine.</p><p>It beeped to life.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>(Yes, that is the end.)</p><p>Thank you so much for reading and being patient! I haven't had the energy to respond to all the comments, but I've read and appreciate every single one of them! The concept for this story came to me randomly (was somewhat inspired by the Petscop series) and I wasn't sure people would enjoy it. I was pleasantly surprised, especially since this mystery creepy stuff isn't my forte.</p><p>Take care of yourselves! See you!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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